We truly hope you enjoyed this new adventure through the rise of the Griffin Empire and we would like once again to thank you for your support. Shadow Councilors, your devotion will be remembered, working with you was an inspiring and memorable experience for all of us.

After 4 years of a close collaboration, our partnership with Limbic Entertainment is coming to an end and as such no further updates will be provided for the title. The forums will remain open to allow you to continue the conversation about the game and keep sharing your best creations.

We would like to thank all the teams involved in this project, particularly our friends at Limbic Entertainment and wish them the best in their future endeavors.

On behalf of the Heroes team, we hope you continue to treasure this series as much as we do and we are looking forward to seeing you again in Ashan!

Thank you,The Might & Magic team.
]]>
57f5255749fc3deb0cc3a28bhttp://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/important-announcement-from-the-team
Wed, 05 Oct 2016 18:07:51 +0200General discussionHotfix 2.2.1 Now availableFollowing the release of Patch 2.2, we are pleased to announce the availability of a new hotfix for MMH7 with update 2.2.1.

In this patch, we included several fixes for issues you reported in the previous version. Thank you for your support.

As always, downloading this new update is automatic on both Uplay and Steam. Should this for whatever reason not happen, please then make use of the Verify files feature on either platform, which should then start the download.

Today, we are pleased to announce the availability of Might & Magic Heroes VII patch 2.2!

Along with implementing new Steam achievements, this updated includes a bunch of new fixes and improvements for the game and its addon. The main focus of this patch is set on the multiplayer, the level design but also the combat.

We also included new balancing changes with a revamp of stats for the Champion creatures. See more below.

As always, downloading this new update is automatic on both Uplay and Steam. Should this for whatever reason not happen, please then make use of the Verify files feature on either platform, which should then start the download.

Regards The M&M Team

Balancing

NEW

health

attack

defense

Min damage

Max damage

move range

initiative

luck

morale

Colossus

500

25

30

69

92

4

16

5

0

Landsknecht

390

35

20

90

110

5

15

0

20

Bone Dragon

400

25

40

70

85

5

19

5

0

Cyclops

450

22

32

75

90

4

14

10

0

Green Dragon

500

25

25

75

77

5

11

10

0

Shadow Dragon

400

25

20

70

80

5

29

0

0

Red Dragon

400

35

20

60

70

5

20

10

0

Titan

500

25

30

69

92

4

17

5

0

Swordmaster

450

40

22

110

130

5

19

0

20

Spectral Dragon

450

25

45

80

100

6

22

5

0

Enraged Cyclops

500

24

38

85

100

4

15

10

0

Emerald Dragon

600

30

25

75

77

5

12

15

0

Black Dragon

450

25

22

80

95

6

30

0

0

Ardent Dragon

450

40

20

70

85

6

23

10

0

Arcane Eagle

400

25

25

75

80

7

36

5

0

Seraph

500

25

35

60

70

6

21

0

10

Grim Rider

300

45

20

85

95

7

18

10

0

Behemoth

420

32

25

70

85

5

22

0

0

Treant

400

22

35

50

70

3

12

0

5

Cave Hydra

500

30

22

64

85

5

25

0

0

Fire Giant

535

20

38

65

80

5

14

0

5

Simurgh

440

31

30

80

100

8

39

5

0

Celestial

600

25

40

70

75

7

23

0

20

Grim Reaper

350

50

20

100

110

7

19

25

0

Ancient Behemoth

450

35

25

80

100

6

23

0

0

Ancient Treant

460

24

42

68

90

3

15

0

5

Dark Hydra

530

35

22

70

90

5

25

0

0

Einherjar

535

25

38

75

90

5

16

0

5

Shantiri Titan

510

25

25

75

90

5

22

10

0

Gold Dragon

450

25

25

63

78

8

33

11

11

Kraken

650

30

30

70

90

5

15

10

10

Phoenix

400

30

30

70

80

10

34

0

0

OLD

health

attack

defense

Min damage

Max damage

move range

initiative

luck

morale

Colossus

420

20

25

69

92

4

16

5

0

Landsknecht

390

25

23

60

69

5

15

0

20

Bone Dragon

430

20

22

60

85

5

19

5

0

Cyclops

410

20

18

70

79

4

14

10

0

Green Dragon

500

18

26

75

77

4

11

0

0

Shadow Dragon

400

20

20

42

53

5

28

0

0

Red Dragon

395

23

17

53

61

5

20

5

0

Titan

420

20

25

69

92

4

17

5

0

Swordmaster

450

28

26

69

81

5

19

0

20

Spectral Dragon

490

22

25

70

95

5

22

5

0

Enraged Cyclops

460

28

18

70

85

4

15

10

0

Emerald Dragon

500

18

26

75

77

5

12

0

0

Black Dragon

420

22

22

46

61

6

29

0

0

Ardent Dragon

410

29

18

57

65

6

23

5

0

Arcane Eagle

400

19

19

44

66

7

36

5

0

Seraph

450

20

24

55

55

6

21

0

10

Grim Rider

410

24

20

53

77

6

26

0

0

Behemoth

420

25

18

60

77

5

22

0

0

Treant

430

18

25

35

44

3

12

0

5

Cave Hydra

400

21

21

58

73

5

25

0

0

Fire Giant

460

19

22

65

78

5

14

0

5

Simurgh

440

22

22

55

77

8

39

5

0

Celestial

480

20

28

68

68

7

23

0

20

Grim Reaper

460

29

23

72

99

6

29

0

0

Ancient Behemoth

470

27

20

60

77

6

23

0

0

Ancient Treant

460

20

31

45

59

3

15

0

5

Dark Hydra

450

21

21

58

79

5

25

0

0

Einherjar

475

21

26

65

78

5

16

0

5

Shantiri Titan

510

25

25

46

63

5

22

10

0

Gold Dragon

444

22

22

33

55

7

33

11

11

Kraken

345

24

18

45

56

4

15

0

0

Phoenix

230

30

27

52

54

10

34

0

0

General

[Fixed] Quick load would get stuck in rare cases.
[Fixed] Council Hub towns have light shaft particle when selected.
[Fixed] RMG issue that caused some armies in the underground to be directly inaccessible, which caused bugged AI behavior.
[Fixed] Heroes portraits shuffled on loading a save game.
[Fixed] Wrong cursor icon on Abandoned Mine/Prison with random army.
[Fixed] Weekly based resource AM buildings would lose ability in rare cases after loading a save game.
[Fixed] Invalid logic with AI exploration, causing some adventure map sites to never be uncovered by the AI.
[Fixed] Town development for Fortress towns for AI (now goes beyond level 2).
[Fixed] Combat map lighting on transition from adventure into combat.
[Fixed] Not destroying allied players caravan outpost on visit.
[Fixed] Some maps in the Duels section not having a Thumbnail, or localization.
[Fixed] Renewal to only give mana on the hero's own combats.
[Fixed] Creatures not inheriting the morale/luck bonus that was defined in their base stats.
[Changed] Neutral stacks in starting zone of RMG to be always different from the starting faction of the owner of the zone.
[Improved] Rewards for Dragon Utopia, Shantiri Ruins and Dangerous Cave.
[Improved] Money income from Town Hall in the intermediate tiers. Now Town Hall and City Hall provide 500 more gold each.
[Improved] Performance when Hero is moving on big adventure maps.
[Improved] Increased Morale cap to 75 instead of 50 globally.
[Improved] AI will be more focused on its objectives (when conquering sites and picking up stuff that's guarded).
[Improved] AI will be more inclined to use buff sites.
[Improved] General overhaul of all the champion creatures’ stats for Skirmish and Duels.
[Improved] Reduced price of Resources in the Marketplace in general.
[Improved] Reduced cost of Elite and Champion Dwellings so they are affordable.
[Improved] Reduced diplomacy costs by half globally.

Level Design

[Fixed] A problem in Map 2 that caused a Secondary quest to spawn an enemy that prevented the peaceful solution of it.
[Fixed] A problem in map 2, where the quest to give 10% of your army only worked under certain circumstances.
[Fixed] A problem in Myrim's Scenario map where some artifacts were providing 2 items instead of 1.
[Fixed] A problem in Myrim's Scenario map where a dwelling in the initial area wasn't part of the AOC of the town.
[Fixed] An issue in Myrim's Scenario map where narration text boxes could appear during the AI turn. [Fixed] An issue in Myrim's Scenario map where the enemy players didn't show the correct name.
[Fixed] An issue in Dungeon map 4 where several combat dialogues weren't triggering.
[Fixed] An issue in Ivan map 2 (Vanilla) where a dialogue wasn't triggering.
[Fixed] An issue in Thunder in the Tundra, where one landscape component was causing issues when opening the map.
[Fixed] The fact that the player could hire Bart Brimstone from the Hall of Heroes in the Tear of the Old One map.
[Fixed] Several issues in Alternate History related to factions of Dwellings not being the same as the Player's initial faction. Also fixed the fact that Player 1 had 3 Elite Dwellings instead of 1 Core and 2 Elites. [Fixed] an issue in Sylvan map 4 where one dialogue was attributed to Wysloth when it was Danan speaking.
[Fixed] An issue in Map 6 of Fortress campaign where Uplay rewards weren't working.
[Fixed] Two neutral creature stacks in the teleporter path of fracture Time to have the correct XP values. [Fixed] A blocker in Lost tales 1 - Map 5 that prevented heroes from interacting with one of the main quest buildings.
[Fixed] Two fire camps in Final Map 1 (Vanilla) that were providing 0 resources.
[Fixed] A visual problem in Dungeon 2 where some towers from the wall weren't properly illuminated. [Fixed] A problem in Fortress Map 3, where a defeated hero could still capture a lost town.
[Fixed] An issue in the first fortress maps with the lights of the manipulators of the catapults.
Changed Hathor's specialization to be Pugnacious instead of Engineer.

Multiplayer

[Fixed] Last human player remaining in a multiplayer game with AI player automatically won every combat.
[Fixed] Player getting stuck in the game after the game was finished.
[Fixed] Players were able to do actions in town screen during the AI turn under certain circumstances.
[Fixed] Local Guards not giving EXP and not triggering Necromancy.
[Fixed] Learned spells by Arcane Intuition disappearing after combat.
[Fixed] The possibility of the game getting stuck when timer runs out and player doing a quick combat at the end of the turn.
[Fixed] Not being able to attack AI heroes because they are wrongly considered of being In Combat already.
[Fixed] Being able to view AI hero inventory if having all heroes dismissed after AI turn.
[Fixed] Skirmish objectives still being triggered for spectating players.
[Fixed] Popup, "wait for answer" not disappearing when attacking another player during retreating.
[Fixed] Several issues in first turn after loading a save game for Sim-turns.
[Fixed] Game getting stuck when winning vs AI hero during AI turn.
[Fixed] Loading a save game with less players then when saving now turns the missing players towns into neutral and removes his leftover armies.
[Fixed] Game getting stuck when all players but host leave the game and host ends the turn
[Fixed] Loading a save game clients would have UI errors (not showing resources or showing wrong hero portraits)
[Improved] Multiple minor fixes that makes the Multiplayer more stable and robust to not go out of synch.

Adventure

[Fixed] Black Market giving gold to all players in multiplayer when selling items.
[Fixed] Tracing in town screens to return the building under cursor more accurately.
[Fixed] Forts and other neutral sites sometimes spawning 2 garrison armies.
[Fixed] Dragon Fang Necklace now correctly counting as a set artifact.
[Improved] Adventure map performance when moving around with a hero on larger maps.

GUI

[Fixed] A case where Creatures would disappear/re-appear from the Deployment Bar.
[Fixed] Inaccurate saving of deployment.
[Fixed] An issue that was cause a click on a different position than the mouse, when game was unfocused.
[Fixed] Combat-log not restoring correctly after save/load screen was opened.
[Fixed] Incorrect message while spamming Quick-Save.
[Fixed] Initiative Bar no longer appears wrongly when closing Heropedia
[Fixed] Preview of XP gained through combats to take XP bonus into account properly
[Fixed] Fortress village hall building not showing up
[Fixed] Items giving gold income to show the added income properly in the resource bar
[Fixed] Completing an Addon-Campaign no longer displays a progress towards the Main-Campaign.
[Fixed] Option, "Show HP bars" is correctly saved when changing it in the main menu.

RMG

[Fixed] Missing surface and underground zones when using Mixed Terrain.
[Fixed] The lighting of underground zones being too dark.
[Improved] Changed Neutral stacks in starting zone of RMG to be always different from the starting faction of the owner of the zone.
[Improved] Changed value of Rough Terrain Movement Cost from 1.66 to 1.0 for all RMG zones. Applied only for In-Game RMG.
[Improved] Added 5 Addon buildings to the RMG: Runic Forge, Rune stone, Pirate Cove, Abandoned Mine and Dwarven treasury.

Discover a whole new chapter in Ivan Griffin’s quest for peace, leading him to the crown of the mountains of Ashan to face a new threat to his Empire.

Might & Magic Heroes VII: Trial by Fire is now available!

Get ready to discover the
two original campaigns of Trial by Fire, taking place five years after the events of Might & Magic Heroes VII. When Ivan, the recently crowned Emperor, is informed that Dwarven warbands are once again threatening his territory, he is ready to go to war to protect his people. But he also knows a new global conflict could bring the end of the Empire. Hoping to prevent such a tragic escalation, Vilma, leader of the Sudgerd Dwarves, comes to Ivan's court as an ambassador. Her tale will shed light on some of the darkest chapters of the Dwarves' history – and reveal the key to saving both of their peoples.

With more than
30 hours of gameplay, this expansion will give you control of the Fortress Faction. Embody legendary Dwarven heroes and lead your armies to battles with iconic creatures such as the Red Dragons, Fire Giants and Valkyries! This expansion will also feature six additional skirmish maps, as well as dozens of new artifacts, abilities and achievements.

As previously announced, today
is also the perfect opportunity for us to introduce to you our patch 2.0, available for all players. In addition to a great number of new fixes and improvements, this update also includes new features such as the eagerly awaited In Game Map Generator and a new revision of the Skillwheel!

The
digital version of theComplete Edition of Might & Magic Heroes VII, including base game, Lost Tales of Axeoth campaigns and Trial by Fire expansion is also available now.

Kraken

During the Wars of Creation, the blood of the Dragons was spilled all over Ashan, including the blood of Urgash, the Dragon of Chaos. It mutated the wildlife, giving birth to twisted and maddened abominations. Born in the darkest depths of Ashan's oceans, the terrifying Kraken is one such nightmare.

Lizardman

Lizardmen are Beastmen created by the Wizards of House Chimera. But while there are records of Lizardmen created by the fanciful Wizard Agar, the creatures roaming the swamps and coves of the Agyn Peninsula are believed to be a much more recent breed.

Arcane Archer

There are many ways to use magic. Arcane Archers, as their name implies, have mastered the art of imbuing their arrows with magical power. As a result, they are capable of feats a regular archer could only dream of. Many of them use their talents as assassins, and are often employed by the Blackfang organization.

Black Guard

The founding members of the Black Guard were once part of a famous company called the Storm Guard. Putting their greed before the Windswords’ code of honour, these mercenaries were eventually expelled from the Storm Guard and formed their own company. The members of the Black Guard are willing to accept any contract as long as their price is met.

]]>
57863620ca01778d498b68e7http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/additional-neutrals
Wed, 13 Jul 2016 14:37:52 +0200Story & LoreFortress Townscreen
"Dwarf warrens are built in concentric rings around a central great hall. Main avenues run off in the cardinal directions, with smaller tunnels in between. Dwarf architecture also runs in three dimensions, with plenty of stairs, wells, galleries honeycombing the mountains under wich they live.

In design, Dwarves are not fond of representational art, preferring instead geometric patterns. Their buildings, roads, and stairs are mostly built to be sturdy rather than pleasing to the eye. One decorative field the Dwarves do specialize in, however, is lava gardening. Most Dwarf families own centuries-old gardens of molten rock and carefully tended obsidian, cooled to precise specifications over the years."

It is now time to discover the Townscreen of the powerful and proud Dwarves of Grimhein!

This article only focuses on main buildings of the townscreen.

DwellingsCore Creatures

(20) Shield Halls: Allows to recruit ShieldGuards.

(13) Blackbear Cages: Allows to recruit Blackbears.

(22) Kobold Warrens: Allows to recruit Kobold Pathfinders.

Elite Creatures

(6) Valkyrie Bonfire: Allows to recruit Valkyries.

(5) Runic Temple: Allows to recruit Rune Patriarchs.

(2) Magma Conflux: Allows to recruit Magma Elementals.

Champion Creatures

(1) Hearth of Einherjars: Allows to recruit Einherjars.

(17) Mountain of Fire: Allows to recruit Ardent Dragons.

Warfare Units

(11) Foundry: Allows to recruit Fire Cannons.

(12) Rune Temple: Allows to recruit Runestones.

(21) Armory: Allows to recruit Dwarven Ballistas.

Buildings

Heroes Buildings

(3) Thieves Guild: Provides the town screen window to spy enemies and give overview of the game status.

(4) Fire Magic Amplifier: Fire magic spells cast by a hero (controlled by the town owning player) inside the town's area of control are cast on the next higher rank.

(10) Capitol: Raises the daily income to 4000 gold / day. There can be only one Capitol per player and per map

]]>
57863556ca0177f4488b68e7http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/fortress-townscreen
Wed, 13 Jul 2016 14:34:30 +0200Behind the scenesWhat is Strength? He was being punished. That much was certain.

Finally, one morning the boy woke to find the three men packing up the camels without telling him what to do. He fears this would be the day when one of them stuck a knife in his heart.

Even at the age of nine, he knew he had been a great disappointment to his Wizard parents. He had failed at every magical task they gave. Not just failed, but spectacularly failed. A couple times, people were injured. They considered him a shame when he was supposed to be a triumph. That level of failure could not be accepted.

So, that morning as the sun just peeked over the horizon casting a slight orange glow over the endless tan desert, Master Salman walked up to him.

The tutor held out a single full waterskin. When the boy accepted it wordlessly, the man handed him a curved knife.

“Do not come home,” the tutor said.

He tried not to cry, but big fat tears dripped on his cheeks as he said, “I know.”

Salman walked away, climbed onto his camel. Then the boy jumped forward and asked the question that had always been troubling him. “What did I do wrong?”

The servants rode away. Salman paused a moment, looked over his shoulder, and said, “Magic is strength, boy. Your failure is my failure. Your failure is your mother’s failure. You weaken us all.”

Salman rode away, leaving the blue-skinned boy with the long red hair alone in the desert.

***

Miraculously, a year later he still lived.

Dressed in the hides of animals he had killed himself, he carried a spear half again taller than himself. He had learned to avoid the wandering tribes of Orcs and Goblins. He stayed away from the hunting grounds of the Centaurs and learned that he could practically hide beneath the noses of the brutal Cyclopes because although they had eagle-like vision over a distance they relied more upon touch and smell at close range. And apparently the boy did not give off a smell that they recognized as a threat.

Perhaps that was the Djinn in him.

He learned the habits and language of the Cyclops first. Periodically, an Orc tribe would seek the aid of the lumbering giants and through those encounters he learned that the Cyclops tongue was just a dialect of the same one the Orcs spoke.

Then one day the boy was following a small band of jackals hoping to separate one for a meal. He didn’t dare take them all on himself, but jackals were greedy creatures who could be lured by the smell of some rotten meat.

He carefully crawled over the top of the dune only to spot what the jackals had been tracking. A Cyclops.

The giant sat cross-legged out in the open, slumped slightly forward, baking in the afternoon sun. He did not move. Perhaps he was dead and that was why the cowardly jackals had come.

The boy watched as the dogs circled the Cyclops. They yipped and barked and slinked even closer, building their courage slowly. The boy snarled at the scene. It did not seem fair. This was not the end deserving of such a tower of strength as that Cyclops.

Gripping his spear tightly, he stood. He had counted eight of the jackals. The boy really had no plan other than to run the beasts off. If he could manage to kill a couple, maybe the cowards would do just that.

Spear in hand, he charged down the dune toward the scene below.

The boy was still too far away to attack when the first of the dogs leaped at the neck of the still Cyclops. Suddenly, the giant burst into action. His right hand came up, drawing a great spiked club up from where it had been buried in a fine layer of sand. Sand splashed the air like water, and then the giant swung the weapon. It struck the brave jackal alpha, killing the dog instantly, and sent it flying far away into a sand dune.

Two more dogs attacked as the Cyclops came to his feel. One bit into his hamstring. Another latched onto the giant’s left wrist, who roared in anger even as it dropped the club and went to work on the animals.

That’s when the boy reached the scene. He thrust his spear into the side of one of the dogs, the weapon going all the way through and sticking in the canine’s ribs. He drew the steel knife given to him long ago by Master Salman, and a second blade he had carved himself from the jaw of a long-dead lioness.

One of the jackals attacked, but a double swing of his blades cut its throat and belly open with ease.

Then the rest of the animals, only a few, fled into the desert leaving the ten year-old blue boy standing dangerously close to a slightly injured Cyclops holding the limp carcasses of two jackals in his hands. Slowly, the giant turned toward him and for the first time the boy looked up into its demonic face. The single eye that should have been the most prominent feature of his face was missing and a deep gouge deformed his entire face.

The Cyclops sniffed at the air and then said in Orcish, “Who there?”

“A wanderer,” the boy answered in the Cyclops dialect.

The giant dropped the two dead dogs at his feet and said, “You no Cyclops. I kill with bare hands.”

“Pick up your cudgel if you want,” the boy said. “It’s behind your right foot.”

Slowly, cautiously, the Cyclops bent low and lifted the huge piece of wood, a tree to the boy, from the ground. The giant stood to his full height of nine feet. If not for his missing eye and hideously scarred face, he would have been one of the most impressive members of his race that the boy had ever seen.

“I mean you no harm,” the boy said.

“You puny for Orc. No smell like nasty Goblin. What you?”

“I am me. I mean no harm. Let me take one of these jackals and I’ll leave you alone,” the boy said, aware just how empty his stomach had become now that there was fresh meat nearby, even if it was stringy jackal meat.

“I kill three. I keep three.”

“I killed two, but I can only eat one. Consider the other a gift.”

For a moment, the boy thought the Cyclops would reconsider and just kill him. One blow with that club and he was dead. Even a glancing blow would end him, and now that he was this close to the thing he did not feel confident in his ability to dodge it. He had seen it in action. Even blind, the Cyclops was a tremendous warrior.

The Cyclops turned its head from left to right and back again, sniffing at the air. Then, strangely, he smiled at the boy. He said, “I think one has gone too far. Hit too hard.”

The boy smiled too. “I can see it about sixty feet from here.”

“Only sixty? Must be losing my touch.”

The boy laughed.

***

They butchered and cooked their own animals over a fire at the entrance to a cave not far from where the boy met the Cyclops.

The cave had a pool of fresh water in the back from which they drank. Only when their bellies were full and the Cyclops was crunching on the bones of the jackals as an odd dessert, or maybe just to feel them cracking beneath his massive teeth, did the Cyclops turn toward him and speak.

It was custom for the boy to introduce himself now, but when he opened his mouth to speak the name he had been given at birth he could not speak the words. That wasn’t him anymore. His parents had abandoned him to the desert to die. The only reason he still lived was a great anger had been born within him the day he had been exiled, a great feeling of defiance. The only way he could defy the wish of his parents was the stay alive.

A new name came to him in the moment as he stared into the gaping hole where the Cyclops once had a single eye. So the boy renamed himself.

“I am Yog.”

Maggrash broke into a deep, thunderous laughter that echoed in the cave behind them as well as rolled out over the dunes of the Sahaar Desert. Yog smiled. He knew his name would please the Cyclops, but he hadn’t realized how much.

“Maggrash have no eye and meet boy named Yog,” Maggrash said and burst into laughter again.

“Yog” was the Cyclops word for “eye.”

Later that night, after Maggrash invited Yog to stay with him and they were settling down for the night, Yog dared to ask, “What happened?”

“Damned Angel. Only let me live to punish me for my Demon blood. Like Demon blood is Maggrash choice?”

“Angels,” Yog said with distaste. Although he had never seen one, he had learned about them growing up. He had learned many things from the books Master Salman had forced him to read. “Angels are always concerned with punishment. They are just self-righteous enough to think they are the ones who should pass judgment like that on others. Who gives them the right?”

“Dragon of Light give them right,” Maggrash said as if it were obvious. They fell silent for a long time before the Cyclops spoke again. “Maggrash no understand half what you say, boy. What you say, you no like Angels?”

“No, I don’t like them. I don’t like anyone who is self-righteous.” Like a mother and father who could abandon their child to the desert simply because their child couldn’t use magic.

“Good. Afraid I was going to have to kill you.”

Then the giant quickly started snoring.

***

At sixteen, Yog still travelled with Maggrash. That first year, the Cyclops kept threatening that he would eat the boy. The second year, he complained about Yog’s weakness and ignorance and a thousand other things. The third year, they became friends.

Their reputation as a dangerous and deadly pair had kept most of the clans off their backs. Not for lack of trying though. On more occasions than Yog could recall, Orcs and Goblins and Cyclopes had attempted to kill them. Every challenge, however, was met with deadly force.

Yog became strong and quick out of necessity. When traveling with a giant who always overestimated his strength, soon he found himself carrying for more than he could handle but somehow managing to muscle through. He also learned how to fight with sword and axe, dagger and even bare hands. When he fought back-to-back with Maggrash though, he directed the giant toward the enemy with quick voice commands. They practically had a language of their own and with it they defeated whatever came at them.

They were so invincible, in fact, they no longer hid from the tribes. On the contrary, some of the clans even invited them into their temporary towns for festivals or celebrations because they were equally known for their celebratory antics as they were for their combat skills.

Those were the happiest years of Yog’s life.

But it was Maggrash who wanted more. Yog was content to wander the desert alone depending only on his giant friend and his will to survive. The Cyclops, however, started talking about the strength of a good clan, and building a clan into an entire tribe, and using a tribe to create an army of tribes that could march against the Holy Empire and the Angels.

Because he felt he owed the Cyclops everything, and because he secretly loved the blind giant like a father, Yog listened.

“No one follow blind chief,” Maggrash declared one night out on the open desert.

“Then how are we going to get that clan of yours?”

“Not Maggrash clan, stupid. I talk of Yog clan. No one follow blind chief but Yog is Eye. He see far. He see enemy move before enemy make move. He see all. Yog clan be strong.”

“No one will follow me,” Yog said. “I am human and Djinn. I was born in the Seven Cities. Orcs hate the Wizards.”

“So you human. So you blue. Orc not care, if you strong. Cyclops not care, if you strong. No one care, if you strong.”

Strong. The words of Master Salman suddenly came back to Yog. He hadn’t thought of that long-bearded man in years. Now, he could picture him perfectly, sitting on that camel staring back at him as if he were the ultimate shame.

“Someone told me once that magic is strength,” Yog said distantly.

“That stupid! Strength is strength. Magic is magic. Rabbit is rabbit,” Maggrash said in his usual way of simplifying the world down to its core. Yog used to think of Cyclopes as moronic creatures but after living with Maggrash for all these years he had come to respect the giant for his uncomplicated wisdom.

Maggrash reached out slowly and placed a huge hand over Yog’s shoulder. It was heavy and strong but also comforting. The Cyclops said, “Yog is Yog. Yog not Wizard parents just like Maggrash not Demon blood.”

Yog didn’t want a clan, but Maggrash did. Desperately. So, he asked, “How do we begin?”

“With Cyclops.”

***

It would be his first real battle. Yog had been in combat before. He had killed many in his seventeen years, but now he was the leader of his own band of Cyclopes. Twelve, not including Maggrash and himself.

Across a dry grass field stood another band, almost sixty members, attempting to make a name for itself mostly through raiding the borders of the Seven Cities and now for killing the infamous Maggrash and Yog. They were a mix of Orcs and Goblins and four Cyclopes led by a merciless Orc named Kondo.

“Today, it begins,” Maggrash said. There was a little white creeping into the hair on his friend’s chest and legs, the first sign of the giant’s advanced age.

“I have to face Kondo alone,” Yog said. Otherwise, none of these tribeless Orcs and Goblins would join him. They would end up having to kill the entire band.

“Others know this,” Maggrash spoke for his Cyclopes kin.

“Do you think I can kill him?”

The giant shrugged. “If no, then we follow Kondo instead.”

“Thanks for the confidence.”

“No let Kondo hit you and you win. There, I help,” Maggrash said testily.

Yog frowned at the tall, muscular Orc standing at the center of the other band. His skin was heavily tattooed. His fangs were long. More importantly, he was known to be a great warrior with unmatched skill with the huge axe he carried. Somehow, Yog had to kill him all by himself.

Yog walked five paces in front of his band of giants. He knew he looked puny compared to those who stood behind him, but he had done the impossible. He had recruited each member of his band, trained them in new fighting styles based upon strategy as well as strength. They were small in number, but they had already fended off the attacks of forces three times their size.

Yog lifted his sword above his head. His long, red-brown hair blew in the wind. Recently, he had taken to tattooing his body in Orcish fashion but certain inks would not take on his blue skin. It had taken a shaman to find an ink that would work, so the white marks on his blue skin stood out enough for others to see.

“Kondo!” Yog shouted across the field.

The giant Orc swung his axe in a wide circle over his head several times, spurring his troops into a frenzy of excitement. Everyone was ready for war.

“You’re like a Wizard with an axe, you coward,” Yog yelled, knowing the kind of reaction he would receive from and insult like that. It was an insult that had been carefully planned over the last two weeks ever since he set his ambitions upon this particular bandit band.

Kondo sprinted about ten paces in front of his troops and shouted, “You blue-bird. Kondo plucks blue-bird’s wings and eat them tonight!”

“Then face me! Face me, coward, or flee back to suckle on your whore of a mother.”

Behind him, Maggrash said, “That too much. Leave Orc some honour.”

But Yog’s words got the desired result. Kondo turned to his troops, shouted a command, and they charged.

Yog ordered, “Spear them in the middle. Get me to Kondo.”

The two forces met each other in a clash of shields and axes and clubs. Any observer would have given the smaller force, even if made up of giants, no chance. But Yog had trained these Cyclopes how to fight larger numbers without breaking formation. They fought strategically but still with honour. Soon, Yog’s forces cut into the other band and split them outward toward the flanks.

Yog sprinted into the fray with his sword and axe flashing. He cut down two Goblins and an Orc before he reached Kondo. He had been concentrating on the battle around him and nearly lost his head to Kondo’s axe on the first attack.

The Orc was fast and strong. His axe always seemed to be swinging at Yog and it took all his speed to avoid each attack. He rolled through the grass, came up just in time to block another blow that knocked the axe from his left hand and numbed his arm.

Kondo was like a dancer spinning through the battlefield with the giant axe as his partner.

A glancing blow cut open Yog’s left shoulder. The shaft of the axe hit him square in the nose, breaking it and causing blood the flow down into his mouth. Yog barely jumped out of the way of another attack that would have taken his left leg completely off. Instead, he came away with a deep, bloody gash in his thigh.

Kondo paused. Sweat rolled down the Orc’s ugly face and he was breathing heavily. Around the two combatants, the battle had stopped. Everyone knew what this battle was about and so they paused to wait for the outcome.

The Orc said, “Tonight, Kondo drinks blue-bird’s blood.”

Yog snarled back at him and said, “Then you give all Orcs a bad name. We don’t drink the blood of an enemy. That is a Wizard’s lie. We honour him with death in battle.”

Even Yog could sense some agreement among the crowd circled around them.

“What does blue-bird know of being an Orc?” Kondo shouted angrily, spittle flying from between his great fangs.

“You’re right,” he shouted back. “I am not an Orc. I am not Goblin, or Cyclops, or Centaur. I am as merciless as the desert. I am as quick and deadly as the dry lightning that strikes the dunes. I am as relentless as the sandstorm. I am Yog!”

The two combatants sprinted toward each other, weapons clashing in sparks and more blood flying to disappear into the desert sands. Somehow, Yog managed to roll under one of Kondo’s attacks and get inside the big Orc’s defences. His sword flashed up cutting into the side of Kondo’s neck.

The Orc, stunned, dropped his axe and stood still looking out at the desert.

“Don’t worry, Kondo. I will not be drinking or eating any part of you,” Yog said, and then spun back the other direction with his sword out at arm’s length severing the Orc’s head from his shoulders.

Cheers went up from the Cyclopes circled around him. Kondo’s remaining forces, however, were uncertain of the fate they would soon face. Their hands tensed on the hilts of their weapons. Would they have to fight for their lives?

Maggrash, bleeding from a deep wound on his right arm, walked forward to stand next to his friend. He made a show of looking out at all the gathered enemy. His ugly, scarred face sneered at them all.

“I say we put all heads on sticks,” Maggrash growled. As if on cue, Yog’s band of Cyclopes, all but one still alive, shouted in agreement.

Half a minute of screaming made everyone nervous. Battle was near, and frankly everyone would have been satisfied with that result.

But then Yog raised his arm. In all the chaos, he had walked over to where Kondo’s head had rolled into the high grass. He held it up while drops of cooling blood fell on his arm.

“This is the only head Yog wants!” Yog yelled.

All eyes fell upon him.

Maggrash growled angrily. Only Yog knew he was acting. Then the blind Cyclops turned to the assembled Orcs, Goblins, and Cyclopes and said, “Honour Chief Yog!”

In unison, every single one of the enemy threw their weapons on the ground in front of them in symbolic declaration of loyalty.

***

His wounds stitched but aching terribly, Yog sprawled in front of a fire with the beginning of his own clan around him. They celebrated this moment, becoming a stronger, smarter unit with a promise of a powerful future.

Maggrash picked at his long teeth as if he didn’t have a concern in the world. It annoyed Yog.

“Now what, Maggrash?”

“What ask me for? You chief. You always chief.”

“Always? What are you talking about? You’ve been leading me,” Yog said.

1. Hall of Heroes

Check out the portraits, bios and specializations of some of the Fortress Heroes you’ll be able to hire in the Hall of Heroes in skirmish or multiplayer maps. While they are not the main characters of the campaigns, some of these characters might play a role in the stories. Longtime Heroes fans might also recognize some familiar faces :)

HAEGEIR

Biography:Haegeir Mordisson is the current warlord of the Grimsteel clan, but you wouldn’t necessarily suspect it from his cheerful personality. Make no mistake, though: he hasn’t been given the nickname “Bearheart” because of his cuddly disposition. His oldest friend and comrade-in-arms, Hathor the Deepstrider, would tell you Haegeir is a simple man, who likes doing what he does best. In Haegeir’s case, that would be eating, drinking, maiming and killing.

HEDWIG

Race: Dwarf

Affinity: Might

Class: Thane

Specialization: Shieldmaiden (Defenders and Shieldguards cannot get "Incapacitated" from any creature attack.)

Biography:Like the rest of the Winterwind clan, Hedwig "Silverhair" Randversdottir actually enjoys venturing far from the comfort of the great stone halls of Grimheim, exploring new lands and meeting new faces. But as a Shieldmaiden, she also considers her duty to protect and escort Dwarves from other clans who are less than thrilled at the idea of leaving the safety of their underground homes.

BART BRIMSTONE

Biography:Born in a clan of artisans and engineers, Bart Brimstone was fascinated by water and believed there was great power to be harnessed in the marriage of fire and its opposite element. His research was regarded as heresy by the other Dwarves, which eventually led to Brimstone’s exile. To further his knowledge of water in all its forms, he eventually joined a crew of Sea Elves in their travels, and ended up falling in love with the ocean and its endless possibilities. He became a pirate to fund his experiments, and created the Fiery Heart, Ashan’s first (and only) steam-powered warship.

SVEA

Race: Dwarf

Affinity: Magic

Class: Firebrander

Specialization: Disciple of Air (Increase magic by 6 when casting spells of the magic school of Air.)

Biography:Svea spent her youth in the towns of the Silver League as part of the Dwarves' small embassy in the land of the Wizards. But while other Dwarves, depressed by their stay in the foreign country, were giving way to homesickness, Svea spent her time studying all the mysteries of the League's magical art. The outcome of her studies was the mastery -- unusual for a Dwarf -- of Air Magic.

2. Might Heroes

"The Dwarven warbands are one of the most feared fighting forces in the world. Featuring unparalleled ferocity and iron discipline, they can be mustered on a moment’s notice. In
combat, warbands from various cities try to outdo each other in terms of enemies killed, banners taken and the like – war is a game, and this is a way of keeping score. The Dwarf warriors, while ferocious, are possessed of an uncanny discipline. They have been known to hold position under withering arrow fire for hours, waiting for the right moment to charge. Dwarves never, ever surrender. They fight to the death, even when the odds are hopelessly against them. The best death a Dwarf can wish for is one in battle, against impossible odds, with a witness who will someday make a song of their deeds."

Might Classes from Fortress:

Warlord,

Jarl,

Thane.

Warlord

Warlords are the commanders of the warbands, raiding enemy positions and spearheading the Dwarven armies. Their mastery of Warfare and Rune Magic is critical in their strategy, as they unleash fire and brimstone on their enemies before marching for the onslaught. Recognized by all as great leaders and explorers, they are also versed in Earth magic.

Main skills: Warfare, Offense, Exploration, Leadership

Jarl

Jarls are amongst the most respected heroes in their communities. Wise and strong, they are masters of Economy, and rarely fail to make their towns prosper. Masters of Rune Magic, they are also renowned scholars of Fire Magic, and more than decent fighters and diplomats.

Main skills: Economy, Paragon, Fire Magic, Destiny

Thane

Thanes are the shields of their community, able to stand strong in any situation, even besieged by superior number, using not only their personal fortitude, but their defensive skills and ability to yield Rune Magic and Fire Magic. They are also expert economists and proficient in Warcries, as well as competent explorers, diplomats and users of Air Magic.

Main skills: Defence, Fire Magic, Warcries, Economy

3. Magic Heroes

"Dwarves mainly rely on Fire magic, the “ruthless” magic that consumes the weak but gives strength and purpose to the strong. Apart from the deadly fire spells, their magic is mainly used to instill strength in warriors, forge objects and help during sieges. Runic inscriptions are omnipresent in Dwarf society and many Dwarves have runic tattoos on their skin. Each rune corresponds to a spell, an open door for communication between the physical world and the spiritual world. Runes allow the physical properties of an object to be channeled to the Rune bearer. Runes allow the physical properties of an object to be channeled to the rune bearer."

Magic Classes from Fortress:

Firebrander,

Runelord,

Engraver.

Firebrander

Firebranders are indisputably the masters of Fire, yielding Rune and Fire Magic at the pinnacle of their power, and mastering Warfare like no one else, they can turn a battlefield into a fiery hell. They are also experts in Earth and Air Magic, and can use Prime magic to some extent.

Main skills: Fire Magic, Warfare, Air Magic, Exploration

Runelord

Runelords are the greatest scholars among the Dwarven heroes. Masters of Rune Magic and Fire Magic, they also excel in Earth and Prime Magic, while they can use Air Magic at a lower level. Their secondary skills make them efficient administrators, and they remain pretty strong on the field of battle, notably thanks to their Exploration and Warfare skills.

Main skills: Fire Magic, Paragon, Prime Magic, Economy

Engraver

Engravers are the guardians of holy places. Masters of Rune, Fire and Earth Magic, but also users of Air and Prime Magic, their knowledge of the Arcane is their very own fortress. This makes them experts of defensive strategies, able to lure their enemies in their line of fire while their troops stand strong, ready for an overwhelming retaliation.

Main skills: Fire Magic, Earth Magic, Defence, Destiny

]]>
57863082ca017771738b68e7http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/fortress-heroes
Wed, 13 Jul 2016 14:13:54 +0200Story & LoreFortress Warfare Units
"Dwarf ballista crews are deadly accurate, and can reload and fire fast enough to break up almost any enemy advance. Dwarves particularly excel at sieges, with their engineers and sappers working relentlessly to undermine any fortifications they face. By the same token, they excel at defensive warfare, and can turn all but the most barren position into a fortress with astonishing speed"

Let's take a look at Fortress best warfare units;

Runestone
Runestones are like the codex of a clan's past history, brought to the battlefield to help the clan in its present-day battles. There is a power in stories, and the Dwarves' lengthy sagas have a purpose beyond self-gratification: when chanted with the proper words, these eddas have been known to strengthen the wills and mend the wounds of their clansmen.

Fire Cannon

The Fire Cannon is a good example of the Dwarves' talent when it comes to harnessing magic for practical uses. Powered by a Fire crystal (sometimes offered to the clan by an Ardent Dragon), the Fire Cannon uses intricate rune patterns to channel and its energies into exploding balls of fire hurled at the enemy's fortifications.

Dwarven Ballista

Crossbows and siege engines are dwarven specialties, and are vastly preferred to less complicated devices like bows, slings and the like. Dwarven ballista crews are deadly accurate, and can reload and fire fast enough to break up almost any enemy advance.
]]>
577e4af249fc3d8478a58e6chttp://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/fortress-warfare-units
Thu, 07 Jul 2016 14:28:34 +0200General discussionTrial by Fire: new release date
Dear Heroes,

A few weeks ago we had the pleasure to announce the upcoming release of Might & Magic Heroes VII: Trial by Fire.

We’d like to thank you all for your support and for the exciting feedback you’ve shared about both the Fortress line-up and the content included in the upcoming patch. We are really looking forward to unveiling some hidden chapters of the Dwarves’ history and for you to lead this fierce faction to a glorious destiny!

Trial by Fire will be a great addition to the series. In order to provide you with the best experience, we‘ve made the decision to postpone the release until August 4th. We know you have been eagerly awaiting for this add-on and we are sorry about this delay. Please be assured that we’ll have more to share soon.

Thank you for your support, The M&M Team.

]]>
573dac1f49fc3da2284b6e12http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/trial-by-fire-new-release-date
Thu, 19 May 2016 14:05:51 +0200General discussionKeepers of the Flame
“Never yield and never lose face”. Be proud of who you are. Defend your kinsmen, your homeland and your honour. Always protect the hearth."

Defender

Hailing from the Grimsteel Clan, Defenders are able to withstand the attacks of their enemies with a rock-like durability. Armed with huge shields reminiscent of fortress walls, they provide a formidable obstacle to any opponent.

Shieldguard

Shieldguards are battle-hardened warriors whose mission is to protect other Dwarven units. Using their mighty shields, the Shieldguards can build an unbreakable wall to decrease the damage inflicted by the attacking enemy.

Bear

When they travel outside of their subterranean realm, the Dwarves of the Winterwind clan often make a detour in the nearby forests to hunt, but also capture wild animals. That’s how they tame those great bears who are then trained to fight alongside the Dwarves.

Blackbear

Bigger and stronger than regular bears, Blackbears wear heavy armour and are rigorously trained. These mighty beasts are loyal companions to the Winterwind Dwarves, and they prove downright deadly when unleashed on the battlefield by their handlers.

Kobold Scout

A species of Beastmen native to the Agyn Peninsula, Kobolds don't like to discuss the circumstances of their creation. Due to a similar stature and culture, they are believed to have been born of the fusion of Dwarves with large rodents. The fact the Dwarves of Sudgerd have welcomed them in their city without a second thought lends credence to that theory.

Kobold Pathfinder

Due to their animal nature, Kobolds have a natural affinity with the wilds. The possess a strong sense of smell, and their fur provides apt protection against the harsh weather conditions encountered in the mountains. The Dwarves of Sudgerd quickly noticed the Kobolds' talents and put them to good use, enlisting them as trackers and pathfinders.

Dis

Their ashen body sporting majestic wings of fire, Dísir are manifestations of Arkath. They are born on the battlefield, when numerous Dwarves die in battle. Their souls then gather and, with Arkath’s blessing, they spark this powerful warrior spirit into life.

Valkyrie

Valkyries are the most powerful of the Dísir, and the messengers of Arkath himself. They are the protective spirits of the Dwarven clans, coming to their aid in battle. Dwarven warriors fight with renewed ferocity when a Valkyrie is at their side, as the spirit will sometimes choose the bravest warriors to be reborn as Einherjars.

Rune Priest

The Rune Priests are a special caste among the Dwarves, recruited from children born with golden eyes -- the mark of their god, Arkath -- who are selected and brought up as battle-priests. Rune Priests brand their skin with intricate runic patterns to channel the elemental powers of the Spirit World through their own body.

Rune Patriach

Certain highly-skilled Rune Priests who undergo consecrating rites in the most secret halls of the Deepflame clan become Rune Patriarchs. They are the closest things the Dwarves have to an impartial power, and are occasionally called upon to settle clan conflicts before they can destabilize the nation.

Lava Elemental

Creatures of molten rock and lava found on the slopes of the great volcanoes of Grimheim, Lava Elementals can take many forms. Spontaneous creation often occurs around the movement of lava, but the Rune Priests are capable of binding these magical beings to serve the Dwarven realm.

Magma Elemental

Magma Elementals are the greater forms of the Lava Elementals, born during the most spectacular (and cataclysmic) volcanic eruptions. These spirits are unstoppable forces of nature, advancing relentlessly and burning anything that stands in their way.

Fire Giant

For the Dwarves, each new volcanic eruption is an important event, an opportunity to pay tribute to their Dragon-God Arkath, and many warriors volunteer to throw themselves into the crater. The few Dwarves who survive the ordeal are fused with the elements of fire and stone. They are transformed into Fire Giants, colossal beings of basalt crackling with lava.

Einherjar

Einherjars are Arkath's chosen warriors, handpicked by the Valkyries on the fields of battle to be reforged by the Dragon's fiery breath into a great avatar of war. Becoming an Einherjar is the greatest achievement a Dwarf warrior can aspire to. It is also a short-lived one, as the Einherjar will eventually be consumed by the very fire that gives him his tremendous powers.

Red Dragon

Red Dragons are the avatars of Arkath, the Dragon of Fire and patron god of the Dwarves. These majestic, fire-breathing creatures are the guardians of Grimheim, capable of reducing the enemies of the Dwarves to a pile of smoking ash.

Ardent Dragon

Deep down in the bowels of the earth, the incandescent heat of the bubbling lava lakes serve as the breeding ground for the Ardent Dragons. Rarely seen on the surface, these Fire Dragons are considered one of the most beautiful creatures of Ashan. Their entire body is made of translucent red crystal, revealing the fiery heart beating within.

A few months ago, we had the difficult task to announce that Ingame-RMG (Random Map Generator) would not be part of MMH7 due to technical complications related to this feature.

However, we never stopped thinking about it and kept working on several leads in parallel to make it happen.

Today, we are glad to announce that Ingame RMG is coming to MMH7 in an upcoming update!

A big pull to Heroes has always been Skirmish maps, as well as the re-playability of the map regarding creeping, layout of resources and general flow of the level. Our RMG has always been very strong. Unfortunately, when outside of the game it made it difficult for someone to quickly jump in with their friend and play in an arena they've never experienced before. This is going to change.

1. How to?

As easily as you could expect it to be!

To create a new map, you just need to select single or multiplayer mode and click the new dedicated button “generate” on map selection window.

A new screen will then appear.

Here, you can tweak all the variable options you will need to make a quick and unique RMG. Map size, Amount of players, does it have the Tear of Asha. Maybe you want to have an underground? Even down to the tile set and what your map will look like. You will then be able to press the Preview option to get a bird’s eye view of the basic layout of the map you've just created.

If you're in Multiplayer these options will be in the lobby for other players to see before the game starts. When everyone readies up all players will then individually load the map and no one will be able to start until everyone has loaded into the game.

2. Technicals

All maps will be loaded with fully Dynamic shadows and lighting by default. Depending on your PC specs this can effect performance and load times quite drastically. For those with lower end machines or people just wanting to get into the game as fast as possible you can disable these in the Dynamic Shadows options in the Settings menu.

We ran some tests on low end machines and these are the following timings for loaded maps.

All these maps were loaded on the lowest settings, No dynamic lighting, with no underground. Note if you add all these things and you have a machine around the same specifications you will increase that load time substantially.

Another feature implemented with our Ingame RMG is the Seed System. In the map creation screen you'll notice a Map String. Once you've generate a map it will always have that string. This means if the map generated is really fun, and you want to play it again, you will be able to enter this number on a newly created map to replay. This also allows you to share that string with other players on forums for them to be able to experience that map as well!

Indeed, we identified this system was not the one many of you were expecting and thus started an important revision of this feature.

With the help of the M&M VIPs, we started to redesign each Heroes class to increase their skill poll but also adding a “weight” to each skill having the potential to populate your skill wheel. Our objective with this change is to give you more flexibility when using random skilling feature and allow you to create a unique hero for your game sessions.

Let’s take one example to illustrate the upcoming changes with Bilashi, Warmonger from Stronghold faction.

1. Current Random Skill system (patch 1.8)

Bilashi current skill pool;

Bloodrage (GM)

Offense (GM)

Warcries (GM)

Exploration (Master)

Leadership (Master)

Warfare (Master)

Defence (Expert)

Destiny (Expert)

Air Magic (Expert)

Earth Magic (Expert)

In the current system Bilashi will always have those skills with associated skill ranks. Skills that have a GM rank will be rolled slightly higher to get, but apart from that it will always be the same pool.

2. Random Skill revision (available on future update)

As mentioned above, upcoming revision will propose a “weight” system on all available skills. Bilashi for instance will have the chance to get the following skills when leveling up:

Bilashi revised skill pool;

Bloodrage

Offense (12%)

Defense (8%)

Paragon (4%)

Economy (2%)

Exploration (10%)

Diplomacy (4%)

Leadership (10%)

Destiny (8%)

Warcries (12%)

Warfare (10%)

Water Magic (4%)

Air Magic (6%)

Earth Magic (6%)

Light Magic (2%)

Dark Magic (2%)

As you can see, his potential skill pool has gone
from a static 10 to a dynamic 15 possible skills. This mean you can create an entirely unique Bilashi every time you play. Increasing the tactical depth and potential amounts of builds will lead to new and innovative team combinations.

Free skilling is still an option, however it will maintain the original 10 static pool.

Important information: A hero will ALWAYS get his racial skill and typically some of them already come with something pre skilled.

This work has been done for every class, every hero in every faction. All of these skills can now be levelled to the Master rank, but you will
still be limited to 3 Grand master abilities, but all skills have the potential to be a Grandmaster skill should you wish.

Some of you may have noticed that Bilashi can now learn Light and Dark Magic. With the change to what skill can be populated in your skill wheel we've removed faction magic restrictions unless it's a strict opposite. For example Stronghold still cannot learn or have Prime spells populated in the magic guild, but they can get Light or Dark. And so on for each other faction.

Here is what your Skill tree and level up will look like with revised Random Skilling system. You'll note that we've added text to tell you what rank what Ability or Skill is.

We have also removed the requirement of having 1 ability per skill tier to get a Grand Master ability. Now you could learn the 3 abilities in the novice tree, Expert skill, Master Skill and then get Grand Master. And any combination of that.

Important information: GUI location of Grand Master Abilities are not representative of what Skill can actually become a Grand Master rank. (For example: you can be Grand Master of 6’ oclock position skill etc.)

The amount of Skills and Abilities offered to you on level up is also Dynamic. The more Skills you learn the more abilities you'll have offered to you, as well as more Skills opening up to you. Both already learned skills (so advancement in tier) and brand new ones.

This means that a player can 'drive' what skills and abilities he wants to advance, with in reason. The more you advance a skill in tier (from novice to expert, expert to master) the calculation of getting that skill to pop up will be slightly greater. This has been done so if you want to try get an early Grandmaster ability (still level 7 is the earliest) you have the opportunity to do it. But if you just want a wide array of low ranking skills you can also just put points into abilities and so on.

Random Skill revision will be available in a future MMH7 update.

Another example with Ymoril, revised Paladin.

To sum up:
- Added weight system to hero class template
- Changed all skills to Major (Master)
- You always get 1 old and 1 new skill as offer
- No skill rank (level) requirement
- Grandmaster need 3 abilities as a requirement
- All skills can become Grandmaster, with a limit of 3
- Dynamic number of offered abilities [(2 + Max((#Skills -2), 0) )]
]]>
5721d6046b3bb7c021e30dbahttp://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/random-skill-revision
Thu, 28 Apr 2016 11:21:08 +0200General discussionAnnouncing Might & Magic Heroes VII: Trial by Fire“Five years have passed since the battle of Horncrest and the victory of Ivan Griffin, first emperor of the Holy Griffin Empire.
Tension is growing with the neighbouring Dwarven Kingdom of Grimheim and Ivan is ready to go to war to protect his people once again, but he knows a new global conflict could bring the Empire to an end.
Hoping to prevent such tragic escalation, Vilma "Stoneshield" Bjornsdottir, leader of the Sudgerd Dwarves, comes to Ivan's court as an ambassador. Her tale will shed light on some of the darkest chapters of the Dwarves' history and reveal the key to save both their peoples.”

Available on August 4th , the standalone expansion Might & Magic Heroes VII: Trial by Fire sees the return of the Fortress Faction with their unique mastery of the power of Rune Magic.

Discover a new chapter in Ivan Griffin’s quest for peace with two original and thrilling campaigns. Enjoy improved mechanics and extra content including six additional Skirmish maps and two bonus original Scenario maps written by Terry B. Ray, Heroes IV’s celebrated writer.

The Dwarven warbands are one of the most feared fighting forces in the world of Ashan. Be prepared to face a new line-up of iconic creatures and charismatic heroes from the depths under the mountains!

This add-on will also be
available as standalone, meaning that you don’t need to own the oiginal game to play Might & Magic Heroes: Trial By Fire. Gameplay improvements will be available for everyone as a global update.

Stay tuned to discover more about
Might & Magic Heroes VII: Trial by Fire and the Fortress faction in the next few weeks!
The M&M Team.

Might & Magic Heroes VII: Trial By Fire, available June 2nd

]]>
571e4e896b3bb716748d99c3http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/announcing-might-magic-heroes-vii-trial-by-fire
Mon, 25 Apr 2016 19:06:17 +0200General discussionThe Lost Tales of Axeoth: Every Dog Has His Day now available!

“At the height of his career, Dogwoggle was one of King Kilgor's barbarian generals, but he soon learned that Kilgor was quite mad and leading the world of Enroth toward destruction. Having managed to flee to Axeoth, Dogwoggle now finds himself hunted by his former allies. As it turns out, Dogwoggle might be slightly responsible for the end of the old world…"

Now available free of charge for all Might & Magic Heroes VII players, discover the second episode of The Tales of Axeoth: Every Dog Has His Day!

Return to the lands of Iranese with three new maps, and complete the Lost Tales of Axeoth adventure written by Heroes IV’s legendary storyteller, Terry B. Ray. Some iconic characters from the franchise will be joining you on your journey!

- More details about The Lost Tales of Axeoth available here- Patch 1.8 notes available here.- "The Lost Tales of Axeoth: Every Dog Has His Day now available!" Join the discussion on the forums!
]]>
570fa3a16b3bb73003aa9c5dhttp://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/the-lost-tales-of-axeoth-every-dog-has-his-day-now-available
Thu, 14 Apr 2016 16:05:21 +0200General discussionPatch 1.8 Notes
Hello Heroes,

Today, we would like to announce the availability of Patch 1.8.

Patch 1.8; along with fixes, improvements and implements to the general game, also includes the second part of The Lost Tales of Axeoth: Every Dog Has His Day, more details to come.

As always, downloading this new update is automatic on both Uplay and Steam. Should this for whatever reason not happen, please then make use of the Verify files feature on either platform, which should then start the download.

Full patch notes are available below but here are some highlights;

General

We have fixed-

If a magic guild is prebuilt in a town, the player can`t set its specialization.

In some campaigns, players can get stuck when spamming ESC during scripted scenes.

Pathfinding ability and Pathfinder specialization.

And more

Gameplay

We have implemented-

Pending Caravans now show up in the recruitment window until they depart at the end of your turn.

Caravans arrived at a Fort but not unloaded, can now be accessed and unloaded manually.Altars and Seals now show up on the minimap.

And more

And improved-

The random Skilling Popup has been visually overhauled.

Multiplayer

We have fixed several bugs-

A bug where the game would go out of synch when deploying more than 7 stacks in combat

A bug where the hero got deselected at the start of a new turn.

A bug where the game gets stuck when the AI attacked an empty town.

A bug where the player could multiply creature stacks under certain conditions when using auto merge button in town.

A bug that caused a game crash sometimes when pressing "spectate" after losing a game.

A bug that caused the game to go Out of synch sometimes when a hero died.

And more

We have improved-

Made Duel Multiplayer sessions more stable.

Level Design

We have fixed a few issues with Stronghold Map 2 and 3, Dungeon Map 2 and 3 and Scenario Timber Wars.

See patch notes for more details.

Editor

The Editor also has had fixes, improvements and implements, including;

Object Properties;

Capped Fog of War revealing radius properties to 300 to avoid crashes in the game.

Properties were only saved when the map was saved as well for Towns, Forts, Garrisons and Hero Armies.

[Fixed] Area of Control, Combat Map Areas and Passability do not open in Layertool when user accesses them from Menu Bar.

[Fixed] Improper appearance of Academy Bridge observed when used in the map.

[Fixed] Improper appearance of Cartrographer and Fortune Teller when the user drags these buildings onto the map.

[Improved] Moved Town/Fort Connection Label to the top.

Audio

[Fixed] Battle Sites "Elemental Forge" and "Dragon Utopia" do not have any combat music when encountered

[Fixed] loss of background music after returning from a Battle Site combat

[Fixed] that combat map specific ambient sounds do not play if music is muted in the options

[Fixed] that combat map specific ambient sounds continued to play on the adventure map after battle

]]>
570f9bb34ee8772658b9d9fehttp://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/patch-1-8-notes
Thu, 14 Apr 2016 15:31:31 +0200Technical topicModding in AxeothDiscover today a little guide to use the various content of the Lost Tales of Axeoth in your own maps.

1. Getting Started

First things first: you need to be in
Unreal Mode to have access to the advanced features of the map editor.

Open the
Content Browser (Ctrl + Shift + F).

Look for the
LostTales_Pack folder, located under Mods. Right-click on LostTales_Pack and select Fully Load.

Your Content Browser should now look like that:

2. General information

Here are some of the things that might interest you:

Axeoth_factions: you can assign these to players and heroes, if you want them to have custom icons and faction names (for instance Preserve instead of Sylvan with the Tree of Nature icon).

Buildings: a number of new / variant buildings you can use on the adventure map.

Campaign_heroes: the unique characters of the Lost Tales of Axeoth. Feel free to use them in your own adventures.

Creatures: want to use the mighty White Tiger in your maps? Here it is J

Custom_artefacts: a selection of new artefacts from Heroes IV and its expansion packs.

Custom_heroes: More than 80 new Hall Heroes. We explain how to add them to your map’s Hall of Heroes below.

Customtowns: Some variants of the usual Heroes VII towns, with slightly different town trees and lineups.

In general, you only need to drag and drop the
Archetypes on your map to use them. In the case of heroes, creatures, and artefacts however, you’ll sometimes have to first place one of the regular H7 heroes on the map, and then open its properties in the Unreal Editor. Find the Hero, Creature or Artifacts field, select the new archetype you want to replace them with in the content browser, and then click on the small green arrow to use it.

3. How to add the Axeoth characters to the Hall of Heroes

Still in Unreal Mode, click on
View, and then World Properties.

Go to
World Info > My Map Info > Map Pools

Here you can customize which Spells, Weeks, Artefacts and Heroes are available in the map in the various random spots.

4. How to use the Heroes IV music in your maps

In Heroes VII, each terrain type is tied to a specific music file. You’ll therefore need to edit the terrain types used by your map and make sure to bind them to the terrain archetypes used in the Lost Tales of Axeoth.

Go to Unreal Mode and open the
Landscape Mode.

With the default Paint tool still selected, scroll down to the list of terrain textures available. For each terrain you want to modify, click on the small
magnifying glass icon next to the texture preview. This will highlight the corresponding terrain layer in the Content Browser. Right-click on that item and open its Properties.

You now need to replace the Layer Game Data field with its equivalent found in
Mods > LostTales_Pack > axeoth_layercelldata

When you play your map, that particular terrain will now use the Heroes IV music. The following tracks are used in the Lost Tales, under license from Rob King and Paul Anthony Romero:

]]>
570627b34ee877f201b0eccdhttp://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/modding-in-axeoth
Thu, 07 Apr 2016 11:26:11 +0200Game mechanicsThe Lost Tales of Axeoth: Unity now available!
Embark today in the journey of Genevieve and Pherlon to the Broken Isles in a quest for lost magic knowledge…

Discover now the first campaign of The Lost Tales of Axeoth: Unity available for free for all Might & Magic Heroes VII players!

Written by Terry B. Ray himself, those 5 maps will bring you 14 years back in the universe of Heroes of Might and Magic IV with untold tales from the world of Axeoth. More details
here.

Players will take control of the Academy faction through the story of Genevieve Seymour, whose odyssey takes place in a new and unexplored world in the aftermath of the Reckoning. This event destroyed the world of Enroth and centenarian knowledge of magic. Genevieve aims to recollect the lost spells and to create a brand new philosophy of magic: the Theory of Unity. But her quest is not without pitfalls, as few sorcerers want to give up their precious knowledge…

Genevieve Seymour (Academy Magic Female)

Genevieve is a woman driven by her ambition, which is why she keeps herself emotionally distant from others. She has few friends, if any, but she has never needed them. She was raised in a brothel, about as poor as anyone can be, but survived her harsh childhood thanks to her resourcefulness.

Pherlon (Academy Might Male)

He has had an uneventful life with the exception of a couple pirate raids, but even then he wasn't directly involved in the action. He fell in love once, married, and fell out of love. He has been rich, poor, rich, and poor again. Hence, Pherlon has developed an endless store of patience and a practical outlook toward life.

Content of “Unity”:

5 maps

2 creatures (see below)

≈80 new Hall Heroes, based on the original art of Heroes III and IV’s portrait artist, George Almond.

6 new Story Heroes, including main characters Genevieve Seymour and Pherlon

≈30 new or alternative adventure-map buildings to better fit the Axeoth universe

24 new legacy artefacts

Several Heroes IV music tracks used under license from Rob King and Paul Anthony Romero, to recreate Axeoth’s enchanted atmosphere.

For more information about patch 1.7 please refer to dedicated article:
Here

Today we're finally excited to be releasing not only the long awaited patch 1.7, but part one of our Lost tales of Axeoth campaign (dedicated article to come).

As always, downloading this new update is automatic on both Uplay and Steam. Should this for whatever reason not happen, please then make use of the Verify files feature on either platform, which should then start the download.

Full patch notes are available below but here are some highlights;

As previously announced, the level cap has been removed on Skirmish maps.

The main menu has been reworked to provide an easier user experience.

Several fixes to Artifacts.

A couple of adjustments have been made to the in-game camera, automatic height adjustment has been smoothed and some clipping issues have been fixed.

New key-bindings:

Browse towns with left and right key (works in town screens and all town pop up’s)

Toggle combat map grid with "G"

Escape can now be (re-)assigned as key-bind

Warfare Units now wait or skip turn, when pressing the wait or defend keys

Rendering on Wide-screen: Aspect ratio management has been improved in council hub, adventure and combat modes.

Mini-map Settings are now saved and UPlay names are now only displayed in online Multi-player matches

Several gameplay bugs have been fixed

Sylsai’s second starting skill has been improved to ‘Warcries’

Several balancing improvements

Diminishing returns - When the "Incapacitated" de-buff wears off, it applies the "Immune to Incapacitation" buff for two combat rounds.

A cap to the number of raised creatures for the Necromancy skill and the "Ghost Ride" ability.

Multiplayer:

Improvedconnectivity of online game

Nat indicator now available in multiplayer lobby.

Out of sync when attacking an empty AI hero in sim turns.

Out of sync when surrendering in combat against AI hero.

General out of sync stability improvements.

The ability to connect to each other has been improved and a couple of implements to the Uplay-Overlay.

A new CM_Academy_Garden combat map has been added.

Editor:

Couple of fixes on the Combat Map

Duplicate and imprinted spells from all spell lists have been removed.

[Fixed] Stats do not update real time when exchanging artifact between heroes.

[Fixed] Hero movement bonuses are not highlight in stats from Hero Screen.

[Fixed] Artifacts giving bonus hero damage per level will sum current damage with the bonus and then multiply it with the hero level, instead of adding the multiplied bonus to the current damage.

[Fixed] A crash when trading item from equip to equip.

[Implemented] New key-bindings:

* Browse towns with left and right key (works in town screens and all town pop up’s)

* Toggle combat map grid with "G"

* Escape can now be (re-)assigned as key-bind

* Warfare Units now wait or skip turn, when pressing the wait or defend keys

[Implemented] Rendering on Wide-screen: Aspect ratio management has been improved in council hub (adaptive FOV) and adventure + combat modes (uses still a fixed FOV to avoid rendering glitches and image stretching in the edges caused by a low FOV but adds instead an unzoom offset).

Gameplay:

[Fixed] A bug that the upgraded Firewall did not stop creatures stepping on it.

[Fixed] a bug that Drain Life of Vampires controlled by Lucretia would not work.

[Fixed] a bug that the Implosion spell from a scroll or an artifact would ignore creature immunities.

[Fixed] Units cannot move on moral turn if the enemy unit was killed.

[Fixed] Heropedia button not available in combat PopUp.

[Fixed] Stats not updating when moving item from hero1 equip to hero2 equip in trade window.

[Fixed] Sweep Retaliation.

[Improved] Sylsai's second starting skill to "Warcries" in order to fix the issue of him starting with "Warfare" on expert level.

[Fixed] Minimap not focusing on underground when using the "switch layer" button.

[Fixed] Quest rewards do not carry over between campaign maps when a hero as a persistent item equipped and other persistent items for the same slot in the inventory.

[Fixed] Editor crashes if the user deletes any Hero/Creature from the map and then changes its property from the Object Browser.

[Fixed] The Visual drop-down list is displayed empty in the Hero Tool.

[Fixed] The user is unable to add text to the line of a dialogue.

[Fixed] Battle-sites with multiHero enabled tooltips.

[Fixed] Custom Artifacts do not display bonuses in-game.

[Fixed] The user can't create artifact sets.

[Fixed] The Editor crashing when opening the Random Fort properties.

[Implemented] New Script Editor Condition "Has Resource Percentage".

[Implemented] +15% Saturation LUT to the Combatmap templates.

[Implemented] RMG: lights are no longer created for Artifacts and Resources in the underground

create new combat map.

[Implemented] Made BattleSite properties accessible in the Map Editor.

]]>
56c5a596a8c2fd0c16315c0ahttp://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/patch-1-7-notes
Thu, 18 Feb 2016 12:05:58 +0100General discussionCommunity Feedback, a new beginning
Along with the announcement of Might & Magic Heroes VII, we launched on August 2014 the Shadow Council. This platform was created in order to give all Heroes Fans the possibility to make their voice count, through meaningful votes and the possibility to share feedback on every article.

Key elements of the game were decided on this platform and we are glad we were able to organise such votes with you all. Moreover, we received on this channel an amazing amount of feedback, particularly valuable to the development team. Thank you again for contributing to the creation of the game!

Following the release of Might & Magic Heroes 7, we have decided to transfer all discussions to the
official forums in order to allow you to better express your opinions and to improve the general community experience. There you will be able to discuss extensively via individual topics which we believe will make conversations easier. As a result, we have decided to close the Shadow Council comments section. The forums have already been re-organised so that there is a place for continued discussions! You can use the same login information as for here, so there is no need to create a new account and this will make the transition smooth for you.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the forum-wide existing official forum ruleswhich you must follow in order to ensure we have a friendly, constructive community.

Our objective with this change is to ensure M&M community remains active with a dedicated place to share their feedback on the long run. With the help of our Community Management teams, this platform will help us to ensure a better follow-up of your questions and recommendations for the devs.

Today the Might & Magic team is glad to announce to you the upcoming availability of Patch 1.7, to be released in early-February.
In addition to the first Campaign of the Lost Tales of Axeoth, this update will also provide several fixes for the game and especially related to the multiplayer experience with the introduction of automatic port forwarding and various out of sync fixes.

Let’s have a quick look of what is coming next with this new patch! More elements and details to be shared with full release patch log.

1. The Lost Tales of Axeoth: Unity

More info to come!

2. Level-cap Removal

Many of you have been asking for it since the announcement of the game, we are pleased to announce that the level cap in all skirmish map (not available on Campaigns or Scenario maps) will be removed with Patch 1.7.

New maximum level for Heroes is now set to 999!

3. Main Menu reorganisation

With the additional elements populating the main menu, we decided to offer a new disposition to improve visibility and readability of this one. All single and multiplayer modes are now separated and the option button is back on main layout.

4. Online Connectivity Improvements

The team is continually working on out of sync issues and this patch will provide a new batch of fixes for those ones (more details to come with full patch note).

5. Additional elements

Finally, this patch will also provide other improvements and fixes to be detailed at release. To name but a few:

Some balancing.

Additional keybindings.

Editor Improvements.

Bug fixes

Etc.

As always, please be aware that we are reading and noting your feedback and we will continue to support the game to improve your Heroes experience.

Best
The M&M Team

]]>
56a23752e754b6801b23e992http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/patch-1-7-announcement
Fri, 22 Jan 2016 15:06:10 +0100General discussionThe Lost Tales of Axeoth: Unity, available February 2016
Several months have passed since the announcement of The Lost Tales of Axeoth, the great project of our Level Designer and Writer Julien Pirou wishing to bring back to life lost scripts from Heroes of Might and Magic IV.

Fully developed with the official map editor delivered with the game, the first campaign “Unity” will be available through a dedicated update to be released on February 2016.

Some context:

Unity, the first campaign of The Lost Tales, takes place after the Reckoning; the cataclysmic event that destroyed the world of Enroth, forcing countless survivors to cross mysterious portals into a brand new, unexplored world. The Reckoning not only threw civilization into chaos, but the study of magic as well. Many of the old spell libraries were destroyed before their contents could be saved. Many Wizards who attempted to gather the books took too much time and died. Untold centuries of knowledge was lost. An organized effort to collect and rewrite the lost spells from the memories of those magic users who survived is being met with a little resistance. Few sorcerers want to give up their precious spell books for such a cause, so the process is slow and painful. Too slow for Genevieve Seymour, who embarks on an odyssey through the Broken Isles to create a brand new philosophy of magic: the Theory of Unity.

Today patch 1.6 will be available and we would like to share with you the details of what it will contain. Downloading this new update is automatic on both Uplay and Steam.

As previously announced, this new patch will bring it share of fixes, improvements and new content to the game. For more information the following content, do not hesitate to check out previous article
Patch 1.6 announcement.

However we kept a final surprise for all Steam players with the brand new compatibility of Might & Magic Heroes VII with the Steam Workshop platform!

Steam Workshop

The Steam Workshop is a web platform that allows Steam players to discover or share new content for the game.
Accessible directly from Steam launcher, you will be able to browse all creations from MMH7 Players including both Maps and Mods.

When you find content you wish to add to your game, you just have to click to the 'subscribe' button, content will be automatically available the next time you launch the game without any additional procedure!

Publishing your own creations is also only a few clicks away thanks to the complete integration of Steam Workshop within the editor.

We would like this time again to put the stress on the great work of both
HoMMdb.com and Maps4Heroes who have been here since the early beginning of this project (and even more!). A huge thank you from the team.

Blood on the Bay

Our Designer/Writer Julien Pirou prepared a new map to give you an example of what you can create by yourself using the Map Editor included within the game. This scenario map recounts a tale of the Ten Years War as depicted on this Council. It is already available on SteamWorkshop but also for direct download on this website in two versions: "cooked" (a lighter but non-editable version if you are only interested in playing it) and "uncooked" (if you want to open the map in the editor to see how it was done).

Description: 846 YSD: Garland of Greystone besieges the city of Bayworth. Baron Clive Morgan must find a way to hold the city. Success will require unconventional methods... but Clive is no conventional lord!A tale of the Ten Years War.

On November 19th we released MMH7 patch 1.5 to introduce additional content to the game and enhance the stability of multiplayer experience.

While we hope you enjoyed the new maps and the improved multiplayer, we identified a critical bug affecting the spells and skill window. Unfortunately it is quite random and has a low occurrence rate, explaining why it escaped our QC teams vigilance. We have spent days to reproduce it on our end, and now are pleased to finally confirm that this bug has been identified and will be fixed in the upcoming 1.6 patch!
Players who have experienced the spell/skill issue should note that those save files will continue to be corrupt even post 1.6 but any new saves made will work as intended. We apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.

We wish to extend our thanks to you all again, for your support, by providing numerous logs and saves with us.

Patch 1.6:

In addition to this critical fix, Patch 1.6 will contain various other bug fixes and improvements. More details on this will be available in the patch notes. A brief overview on some core elements of 1.6 are as follows;

1. Various bug fixes and improvements, including missing Skills/Spells bug

2. A new Skimirsh map: "Global Cooling"

"The mages and alchemists have been issuing warnings for decades, but nobody listened. Now the signs are here for all to see, and only the most delusional still dare denying them: the world is undergoing a drastic climate change, and it's too late to do anything about it. As the world freezes over, all nations begin a desperate struggle to control the remaining resources."

3. Official Tutorial Map

Even if most of you are veteran players of the franchise, a game such as Heroes might be a complex experience at first sight for newcomers. To help them better approach the title, we have introduced a dedicated tutorial map to help guide the player through their journey and learn some more of the subtleties heroes has to offer.

4. First batch of game balancing

With this new patch we have also introduced a first batch of balancing element for the game. A complete changelog will be included in the patch notes. To give you more visibility on our process here are the two main sources of information we used to prepare this update:
- Community feedback. Since the release of the title we gathered a great number of emails,comments and discussions concerning the balancing of the game thanks to your expertise of the franchise.
- Data analyse. We were also able to retrieve in-game data allowing us to analyse the percentage of utilisation of each skills, spells, factions, units and more.

Patch 1.6 is the first step of this new balancing vision and we will carefully monitor your feedback for the upcoming changes

5. Random Map Generator now compatible with multiple tile sets

We also did not forget about the map editor with one important improvement for the RMG feature.You are now able,with version 1.6, to use the RMG with all tile sets at the same time!Currently you are limited to a single variety so we hope this new possibility will allow you to create even more great maps with the editor!

We are committed to continue to support the title in the long run and we know these are some core elements that need to be worked on and perfected to provide the best player experience possible.

Stay tuned for more information regarding patch availability!

Multiplayer

A quick update for you regarding multiplayer and the current situation.

With the last patch we managed to fix a great number of multiplayer out of sync situations however some players are still experiencing out of syncs and as such we want to assure you that with every patch more and more of them are fixed.

Due to the complexity of the port forwarding procedure we are working on implementing STORM, which is automatic port forwarding with in the game. This will allow a better connectivity between players using the different setup of modems and routers all over the world.
Port forwarding might seem as an “old school” way to handle multiplayer but it is important to know that even if you are unaware of it, most games and platforms are using them to allow connection between users (Steam for instance is no exception to this rule https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?re...)

This new feature will be implemented in a future support patch, we don't have any ETA to share at the moment but we are doing our best to implement it in the best delays.

We are pleased to announce to you the direct availability of Patch 1.5 for Might & Magic Heroes VII.

While last patch was focusing on performance improvements, a primary topic that has been addressed with 1.5 is Multiplayer and Out of Sync issues.

The development team has been hard at work testing as many different possible scenarios that could cause the issue to arise and has made significant head way in fixing them.

However remaining transparent with our fans is always important to us and we would like to iterate that there may still be some cases where the game can go out of sync. If you experience out of sync issues post 1.5 sending us game logs and save game files helps tremendously, and it is with that kind of player base support we've already received that helped us make good progresses with 1.5.

Another exciting new addition coming with 1.5 is the inclusion of 2 new Maps. On top with this we have introduced 5 additional neutrals and 12 Heroes to discover on the following dedicated article:
HERE

As always we want to assure you that we are continually working on making Heroes 7 the best game it can be. We'd also like to extend a thank you to you, the community, for sticking with the game and helping us by providing detailed bug reports, game logs and savegames when you've experienced a problem. This has helped tremendously and a lot of the fixes in today’s patch come directly because of the community involvement with the process.

Best,
The M&M Team.

Patch 1.5 top lines:

Further improved multiplayer in combat and on adventure map for out of syncs

[Improved] Clicking End Turn will stop an ongoing command when a command is running, instead of stopping the command and immediately ending the turn and the turn can be ended once the command has finished cleanly

[Fixed] Long loading times experienced due to recompiling of shaders when using different 'Shader Quality' Settings.

[Fixed] Wrong power values for Minotaur and Blade Dancer.

[Fixed] Wrong damage range for Tamed Cyclops on Warfare master rank.

[Fixed] Fog Shroud not suppressing the Nova of the Fire Elemental and the Lilim.

[Fixed] Loading savegame would crash due Serialization stopping by trying to spawn static Emitter or Actor.

[Fixed] Altar of Sacrifice coud produce stacks with a stack size of 0

[Fixed] Unresolved placeholder variable in Poison Cloud tool tip.

[Fixed] The NPC symbol not appearing/disappearing on top of some heroes

[Fixed] A crash with Stone Spikes sometimes crashing the game when restarting combat

[Fixed] A problem with armies sometimes restoring their position to an invalid cell when saving and loading

[Fixed] Speed settings resetting when completing a campaign map

[Fixed] If the user loses only the units that were added with Reinforcements skill, they will be subtracted from the base creatures instead

[Added] Each faction now has an additional two heroes;

Ann

Kengi

Alesia

Christian

Lucretia

Naadir

Ajit

Nur

Ivor

Gem

Salvin

Sephinroth

[Added] The following neutral creatures are now in the game to fight.

Light Elemental

Dark Elemental

Mermaid

Kappa

Shadow Panther

Multiplayer

[Fixed] Replacing human players with AI from a multiplayer savegame

[Fixed] Game goes Out of Sync if the client try to learn a skill during the AI turn in sim turns

[Fixed] Necromancy pop up remains on screen and the user goes inside of a combat of the other user under certain conditions

[Fixed] Getting corrupted combat screen when one player have Necromancy popup open and another engages him in sim turns.

[Fixed] Game getting Out of Sync after some time when conquerring a garrison of another player

[Fixed] On a session with Sim-turns settings ,the user is able to retreat by using the ESC key even when the retreat option is greyed out

[Improved] Reduced AI lag for clients in combat.

[Improved] System to avoid Out of Sync in Combat.

[Fixed] The combat is canceled when the server attacks the client and the client selects retreat option.

[Fixed] Title will crash for the client on loading screen in certain conditions.

[Fixed] Warfare units with active skills not affected by combat timer in simturns.

[Fixed] Mobile shooters not affected by combat timer.

[Fixed] Player sometimes getting stuck after combat.

[Fixed] The bug of the cancel button not working.

[Fixed] Black bars not disapperaing after spectating.

[Fixed] Warfare units with active skills not affected by combat timer in simturns.

[Fixed] The bug of heaven dragon that was causing Out of Sync in combat.

[Fixed] The bug where AI was crashing for the host in sometimes

[Fixed] Necromancy causing Out of Sync in SimTurns in manual combats

[Fixed] Out of Sync caused by increasing skill after loading a Savegame.

[Fixed] Out of Sync related to bad morale.

[Fixed] Defeating an enemy Hero causes Artifacts to be stolen twice

[Fixed] The splitting of creature stacks in tactics mode in multiplayer.

[Fixed] Possibility to do a Hero Attack when your unit has bad morale.

[Fixed] Queuing multiple same commands accidentally in SimTurns.

[Fixed] Join order important when joining a loaded SimTurns game.

[Fixed] The hero is stuck and cannot continue the game after performing certain steps

[Fixed] Client redirect to the main menu and for host is displayed as client joins the session under certain scenario

[Fixed] GUI correctly updates for spectators.

[Fixed] Idol of fertility could be applied multiple times in sim turns

[Fixed] Having the "Artefact pack" from Uplay reward activated will bring a multiplayer session on out of sync in certain conditions

[Improved] Adjusted general path calculation algorithm to properly take into account terrain costs when not calculating for specific hero (improves Caravan time estimation).

[Improved] Reworked Cover system for Sieges:

Cover will be given to creatures inside the walls, and will affect attacking them from outside the walls.
When a wall is destroyed, there is check for Line of Sight to see if there is a clear shot. If the target is still behind intact walls in relation to the shooter, the cover bonus will be applied.

[Fixed] Issue with luck-based effects triggering too early, leading to inconsistent behaviour in some combats (e.g. crits of Gold Dragon and Cuirassier). Also the game will not go out of sync in MP when Gold Dragon rolls a critical hit anymore.

[Fixed] Failed Instant Recall cast does not count as a spellcast on the current day

The team is currently working on patch 1.5, which we hope to release soon.

We will bring you more detailed information about which fixes and improvements are included with the full patch notes shortly. This time again, we would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for your valuable feedback and bug reports.

In addition to those elements, patch 1.5 will also feature additional content to expand your MMH7 experience with the introduction of:

2 new Maps

5 additional Neutral Creatures

12 additional Heroes (2 per factions)

Discover a first glimpse of them today before the availability of this new update!

2 New Maps:

o Mercator’s Misfortune [Skirmish, 4 players]
“The neutral city of Mercator is located between the lands of four rival lords. For many years, this location has ensured the fortune of the local merchants, but these prosperous days are over. Now that the lords' old enmity has escalated into a full-fledged war, he who controls Mercator will have a significant advantage over his adversaries...”

o Mirym’s Journey [Scenario Map / Large]
“Looking to find his place on Ashan, the Half-Elf Wizard Mirym embarks on a quest to discover the secret of his origins.”

5 Additional Neutrals:

------------------------
Kappa Shoya
------------------------

------------------------Mermaid------------------------

------------------------
Darkness Elemental
------------------------

------------------------
Light Elemental
------------------------

------------------------Shadow Panther------------------------

Often jokingly described as the offspring of a toad and a turtle, Kappas are in truth minor Water Spirits linked to rivers and lakes, bound to a material shape by their alliance with the Naga priesthood.

Half-humans and half-dolphins, the Mermaids were originally used to guard, scout, and sail the Wizards’ coasts. Unfortunately, the lands of the Seven Cities being mainly deserts meant that most Mermaids saw very little water, gradually devolving into little more than striking pets for preening masters. As a result, though the Mermaids did not take an active role in the Orc Revolts, they were more than happy to disappear in its aftermath. Since then they have lived more or less freely in the seas, having few natural predators and even fewer cares.

Most of the Darkness Elementals develop in the depths of Ashan, in caves and tunnels and places of darkness where the influence of Malassa, the Dragon-Goddess of Darkness, is great. Caverns, crevices, and pits are all potential birthplaces. Spirits of obfuscation and mystery, their exact form is elusive. They often appear as moving shadows or areas within which light appears unusually wavery and feeble.

Light Elementals usually appear at dawn, when the pale and rosy light is refracted through clouds and dew, weaving into a visible form. Friendly though flighty, these beautiful spirits often come to the aid of lost travelers. The Light Elementals know no allegiance and judge the purity of each heart they encounter by their own standards.

The Orcs of the Pao islands speak of a legendary creature known as the Shadow Panther, bigger and fiercer than the already-formidable Pao Jaguar. Shadow Panthers are very real, but are no ordinary felines. Their attunement to the powers of Darkness made them the most terrible predators of the islands.

Alchemist, adventurer, knight, privateer... Christian has had many careers. During the wars of the Second Eclipse, he proved himself to be a loyal and valuable member of the military. He is a committed and organized commander who provides his service and adventurous spirit to any and all worthy causes.

Alesia -- Haven
Class:
Confessor (magic defensive)
Specialization:
[Vestal] The hero starts with a Healing Sister. Healing Sisters in the hero's army also heals all friendly living units next to her main target.

A member of the Order of Vesta, Alesia was born and raised in the cosmopolitan city of Seahaven, in the Agyn Peninsula. A true Vestal, Alesia would rather use the powers of the Light that Elrath bestowed her to heal and bring peace, although she understands that, unfortunately, fighting can not always be avoided.

The daughter of a famous hero (and granddaughter to an even more famous one), Ann Morgan is a smart lady animated by an adventurous spirit. Having sworn to herself she would not spend her life between a castle's walls, she has embarked on a great journey across Ashan, making her first stop among the tribes of the Sahaar desert.

Kengi -- Stronghold
Class:
Earth Shaper (magic defensive)
Specialization:
[Chef] Friendly creatures in the hero's army regenerate 10 Health at the end of each combat round. Friendly creatures in the hero's army get +5 Morale at the beginning of a combat.

Kengi unexpectedly achieved fame as a chef, but soon realized Mother Earth had chosen him to accomplish greater things. He would bring his cooking skills to the famished nomads of the Sahaar, and teach them how to turn the meager foods of the desert into meals worthy of a king.

A Wizard of House Chimera, Ajit was a student of Agar, the infamous creator of several of the strangest breeds of Beastmen. But his thirst for arcane knowledge proved second to his greed. Always coming up with new schemes to enrich himself, Ajit is starting to become notorious in Wizard circles as a deceitful grifter.

Nur is one of those beings that not only wields magic, but is inherently magical. A Djinn master of meditation and mental focus, Nur's battles with Chaos magic across many planes has led her to develop exceptional magic affinity. Nur was believed lost for centuries after a mad Wizard tried to absorb her powers, but her brother, Solmyr, was eventually able to restore her.

------------------------
Necropolis
------------------------

Naadir -- Necropolis
Class:
Necromancer (magic offensive)
Specialization:
[Ghost Conjurer ] The stack size of any Ghost or Banshee in the hero's army is increased by +1 every time it kills at least one non-undead, non-construct creature.

Naadir despises the world of flesh, even more so than his fellow Necromancers. To him, perfection is only to be found in the naked spirit, cleansed from its material impurities. The punishment he has inflicted to his own body to "purify" it would haunt the nightmares of the most zealous of Inquisitors.

Lucretia -- Necropolis Class: Bone Guard (might defensive)
Specialization:
[Insatiable Thirst] The Life Drain ability of Vampires and Vampire Lords in the hero's army regenerate 75% of the damage they deal as Health instead of 50%.

Seduced and turned into a Vampire by Sandro himself, this ex-Bull Duchy countess immediately showed thirsts for both blood and power. Already a talented courtesan when still alive, Lucretia's vampiric embrace granted her a couple of centuries to hone her natural gifts for seducing, backstabbing, and politicking. She has recently returned to Heresh, although it is not clear if she still serves her old master.

Born Saifiros, "sharp steel eyes", this master con artist changed her name to "Sephinroth" because she felt it sounded more exotic and regal, giving her an aura of mystery. A skillful liar, she tried to pass herself as the late King Arniel's illegitimate daughter. When the masquerade was discovered, Sephinroth was forced to hide among the exiled Dark Elves.

Last consort of the legendary Queen Tuidhana of Tarlad, Salvin had sworn to avenge her death at the hands of the Sylvan Elves. To achieve this goal, he has allied with Erebos, the Master of Assassins. His people now call themselves the Blades of Erebos.

Because of her otherworldly beauty, many believe Gem to be an Elf, when she is in fact Human. This sorceress, born in the Free City of Eridan Crossing nearly eight decades ago, became such a dedicated protector of nature that the Druids of Irollan themselves welcomed her among their numbers. What remains a mystery, though, is how she can still look so young.

Ivor -- Sylvan
Class:
Warden (might defensive)
Specialization:
[Hotheaded]
The hero starts with the Sylvan Ballista. Sylvan Ballistae in the hero's army have +20 Initiative. All friendly units in the hero's army have +50 Initiative in the first round of combat.

Ivor (a shortened version of his full Elven name) proudly traces his lineage back to the Shantiris. Though born into nobility, he has always been a hothead, preferring to lead an attack rather than wait to be attacked. His brashness and arrogance make him rather unique among the Wardens of Irollan.

[Fixed] An issue with AI not saving difficulty settings on Skirmish and Scenario Maps.

--------------------------------

Stay tuned for more information regarding upcoming patches!

[November 10th] Important information:

With patch 1.4.1 some people have experienced increasingly long map load times. We have today identified the issue and will fix it automatically with in our next support patch. For now however you can resolve the issue yourself by going into the options menu and setting the 'Shader Quality' to 'High' and you will get the faster loading times again.

Thanks for all the reports and logs sent to us to help find the issue, and apologies you experienced it in the first place.

Click below for full patch log

[Fixed] AI Speed/Adventure Speed/Combat Speed from the Options menu will change to their default values when the user Loads or starts any save/load action

[Fixed] Improved the destruction physics in Siege combats

[Improved] The saturation of the world has undergone a major overhaul based on user feedback.

* The colors are stronger and more saturated.
* The contrast has been improved.
* Brighness has been adjusted.

[Improved] There are new options regarding camera rotation:

* Mouse right click rotation can be disabled

* Mouse rotating sensibility can be adjusted

* Keyboard rotating sensibility can be adjusted

* Also the smoothness of the rotating has been improved

[Improved] Added a new option in the Settings to enable/disable Atmospheric Fog

[Fixed] The defeated heroes will still appear on the minimap after a save/load operation

[Fixed] Game crashes on the loading screen if a save created contains a hero with governor abilities unlocked and is assigned as governor of town

[Improved] Adjusted decision logic when considering attacking another player (taking into account relative player strength [relative to target] and absolute current strength [relative to all other players]

[Improved] Adjusted AI reachability calculations to have more up to date info when saving and loading

[Fixed] Creatures have no collision with gate's towers after warfare unit hit's them on combat map

Academy 3

[Fixed]The Water level rises back up if a Saved Game is Loaded after The Flood

Academy 4

[Fixed] Fahada does not retain her level and progress from Map 1

[Fixed] External dwelling ignores area of control

Haven 2

[Fixed] AI does not end it's turn after talking with Masfar the first time when using a savegame

Dungeon 1

[Fixed] No collision on the edge of the bridge in the underground layer

[Fixed] The "Shadowsteel Refinery" can never be built.

Dungeon 2

[Fixed] No collision on the edge of the cliff near Dungeon Fort in the underground layer

Stronghold 1

[Fixed] Wrong portrait is used for Kanoni

[Fixed] Random, non-interactable Stronghold hero standing around

[Fixed] Performing a save/load operation after demolishing the wizard statue will play the dam destruction sound effects, on am_stronghold_map1

[Fixed] Performing two save/load operations will misplace a quest marker and make another one persist after completing the Centaurs quest

Sylvan 1

[Fixed] One-eyed rock fort is not visible if the video settings - visual density is kept on low or medium

Final Map 2

[Fixed] Hero clips with the 'Mass Grave' structure

[Fixed] Artifact can be seen to be levitating in the air near the castle 'Barr Abhainn'

[Fixed] Nolwenn's level and skills are not transferred over from the previous map

Necropolis 5

[Fixed] Mouse-over tooltip pop-up for "Well of Souls" spills out of the screen on certain points

The Story of Solmyr and the Efreet

[Fixed] Multiple artifacts appear to be levitating in the air throughout the map

Editor

[Improved] Custom Campaigns

* New fix for hero transfer from one map to the next, which was broken when the hero's properties were changed before, as the old fix had some sideeffects.

The downside of the new fix is that existing campaign heroes have to be manually patched: Open the affected heroes on all maps. In the properties uncheck "Save Progress". Click OK, open the properties and check "Save Progress" again. Save the maps and republish the Campaign.

[Fixed] "Close All Popups" spawns the screen in the middle of the map

[Fixed] Underground layer cannot be deleted from Map Properties

[Fixed] Game crashes after completing a Combat Map launched using Play Map

In the past month our team has been working hard to provide numerous fixes to the game and we will continue to do our best to improve your experience with Might & Magic Heroes VII.

Whilst many crashes, bugs and other issues have already been adressed we are more than aware of the remaining challenges in front of us and would like today, to give you additional insight regarding some of the 'Hot topics'.

Thank you for the community feedback!

Early last week we reached out to various different communities and asked what you would like to see changed within Heroes 7 to give you the best user experience. We let the threads evolve over a week and then collated all the information. With that, we then made a top 10 list of the most frequently requested ideas, sat down and discussed what is actually feasible to add to the game with the various restraints that come with game development.

As such, we are happy to present a list of the community changes we've seen, acknowledged and are now working on implementing to the core of the game.

A quick disclaimer. We will not be able to provide any sort of ETA or timing for these changes, even you will see some of these deployed already with the next upcoming patch. The idea is that we want to make sure that when they go into the game, they are working as intended and do not break anything and some stuff simply takes longer than others.

Presentation

For many players, game saturation levels were not satisfying and the game appeared not as colourful and magical as a Heroes title should be. As such we have decided to do a re pass of saturation, contrast and color to every single adventure map in the game to make things brighter and more immersive.
We hope with this change people will find the game more pleasing to the eye. This re-work goes along with an option to enable/disable the distance fog if you zoom out on the adventure map. With the upcoming patch the distance fog is disabled by default and a more reduced version of the distance fog can be enabled within the game options.

Please find underneath some “before/after“ examples as a first preview of these particular changes.

Tutorial

Another widely regarded request is the addition of a tutorial. With all the intricacies and nuances that come with the Heroes franchise, it seems necessary for us to propose a tutorial for newcomers but also veteran players wishing to discover new features. As such we are developing an entirely stand alone map that will help pave the way for a new player to ease their introduction into the game.
In the meantime we added a „suggestion“ for new players to start with the Haven campaign as this campaign can be considered the easiest of the campaigns for starters. Finally we added various tutorial videos for beginners until the tutorial map is implemented to the game in a future patch.

Tutorial videos direct links:

Tuto 1 - Basic Gameplay :

Tuto 2 - Townscreen :

Tuto 3 - Battles :

Tuto 4 - Skillwheel :

Performance

Big strides have come about in performance and after much testing and optimization we are pleased to say we've hit a really big mile stone in terms of memory reduction and load times.
Memory usage has essentially been cut in half on a map by map basis. With this comes a big reduction of load times and overall performance will have noticeably been improved.

To share some visibility on this subject here are some details:

// Please keep in mind that results can differ from one machine to another one. This chart only aim is to show the improvements on a specific setting with no other modification than the game version.

1. Loading time

With the upcoming patch 1.4 you should be able to experience better loading times on all maps but also when launching the game itself. Of course results can differ but please find underneath a test we ran on a single machine with both 1.3.1 and 1.4 patches.

As you can see, on this setup loading times were cut in half (and more) from ≈38s on Patch 1.3.1 to ≈15s on Patch 1.4.

2. Ram consumption

Some examples of RAM consumption optimisations:

Map

Before 1.4

With 1.4

Dungeon Map_1

5.2 gb

2.8 gb

Sylvan Map_1

5.1 gb

2.9 gb

Stronghold Map_1

5.0 gb

2.7 gb

Academy Map_1

5.3 gb

2.9 gb

Haven Map_1

5.33 gb

3.0 gb

Necro Map_1

5.33 gb

3.0 gb

One of our goal with this procedure is to ensure 32bit OS compatibility with a ram consumption inferior to 3,2go during the full game experience, we will keep you updated on this topic in the upcoming weeks but the team is aiming for a compatibility before December.

Heroes

We are currently discussing the possibility of removing the Level cap entirely. With this we would then look to implement a skill cap so you can't just get every skill. This change will only apply for skirmish maps.
To coincide with this we are looking at ways to make heroes feel more unique by having different abilities. The goal is to add more unique and specialised roles to offer more diversity and replayability. Think along the lines doing damage at the start of combat or providing some sort of passive buffs. Again, this topic is still in discussion (no ETA to share) as it has various side effects on the current implementation.

Balancing

As the game has now been out and had enough time to start really being played we will start slowly implementing more major balance changes. Balancing is something that is always being looked at and worked on. This is something the community can help us in massively with your feedback and support on what you feel needs addressing.

Multiplayer

Since the release of the game, our top priority was to improve gameblocking bugs and crashes related to solo-player modes. Even though we have patched various out-of-sync issues with the last patches you are still experiencing way to many desync situations and we apologies for the frustration it causes. Today, we are now able to gradually shift from this situation and already involved more developers in the multiplayer topic. Upcoming patch should propose a first batch of improvement and fixes for out-of-sync issues in adventure map to be followed by additional ones in the future updates.

Editor

The editor is an ongoing task as well. Thanks a lot for everyone who already started developing maps. We will make sure to constantly improve the editor and we are looking forward to introduce a Steam Workshop support in the future.

----------------------------------

These above changes are some of some of the most highly regarded and spoken about topics within the communities. As you might have noticed members of the dev team are doing their best to be present within various communities – so rest assured we are following the discussions on a daily basis and we will continue to review your feedback

Patch 1.4.

We are currently waiting for the greenlight for patch 1.4. which should be released in the next few days.

As you will be able to discover on the following patch note, most of the fixes available on this update are coming directly from the community. For this the development team want to extend a big thank-you for the countless game logs, save files, discussion threads and feedback you've provided us.

Today’s patch should be automatically downloaded on both Uplay and Steam platforms.

[Improved] Icon and stack size of Shadow Image and Summon Spells creatures are now displayed correctly

[Improved] Memory usage by not loading unneccessary town screen textures and various icons

[Improved] Updated hints during loading screens to fit with current functionalities

Multiplayer:

[Fixed] Several issues where the game goes out of sync during AIs turn

[Fixed] A crash for multiplayer when flee was used in combat

[Fixed] Game getting stuck in sim turns when attacking an army without units

Balancing:

[Improved] Increased celestial resurrection ability effect 50 ->250

[Improved] Increased base neutral growth rate 20% -> 30%

[Improved] Sylvan Ranger class now has Grandmaster Destiny

Level Design:

Academy 2

[Improved] Lyla will now be selected when she teleports on the last platform in the Spirit World

[Fixed] An issue that enabled the player after loading a savegame to walk through the rock into the other area and bug the flow of the Quest

Academy 3

[Fixed] An issue after save/load in Academy map 3, where the camera was pointing to the wrong place after defeating the Possessed Titan.

[Fixed] An issue in Academy map 3 with one army having a value of 0xp.

[Fixed] A problem where the enemies could not attack the town if the player was standing in front of the town

Academy 4

[Improved] Removed the item Malathua's Cleaver at the beginning of the map since the player has no use for it.

[Improved] Changed the end map logic cause it was triggering the same event twice and could cause potential issues.

[Fixed] Modified the last cutscene so any hero, not only Fahada, can trigger it. This could cause blockers.

[Fixed] A blocker where the map was only considered as won if Qasim was defeated by Fahada. So if the player defeated him with a hired hero, the map couldn't be completed.

Haven 2

[Fixed] A general issue was fixed that enabled the player after loading a savegame to pass the garrison before fulfilling the "Take all troops from Ymoril"-Objective and therefore bug the Questflow

[Fixed] The Armies in front of the Forts are now garrisoned in the Fort

[Fixed] An area that was showing open on the minimap during the first Dialog is now closed

[Improved] Defenders of Hammerfall and House Materia will now end their turns faster

Haven 4

[Fixed] An issue with object manipulators in Haven map 4. In this map, on the Shantiri hill, where they looked like Banners and had the wrong Loca.

[Fixed] A problem with one of the shipyards not being able to spawn a ship.

Necropolis 4

[Improved] Blocked the path that enabled the player to pass behind the "Watchers of Yagult" before the storypoint, for those who entered the area, there is also now a one-way teleporter that will bring you back if you are "trapped" in your savegame after the patch

Stronghold 1

[Fixed] Defeating Ajit in players turn and respawn of Ajit will no longer lead to a skipped turn.

[Improved] Weak of Storm got disabled to ensure player can win the last fight.

[Improved] Statue will now change it's tooltip at the correct time (after the Dialog with Reem appears)

[Fixed] A wrong soundfile was removed on both cutscenes (Waterfall and Falling Statue)

[Fixed] Amari has no creatures anymore

[Fixed] A correct combat map was added to one of the bridges (where it was missing)

[Fixed] An issue where Ajit would not attack the player

[Fixed] A general issue was fixed that enabled player to access by the waterfall blocked area after loading a savegame

Stronghold 3

[Fixed] Hall of Heroes will now only provide 5 additional heroes to ensure that the player will not have more than 8 heroes when Imani comes back

[Fixed] The Dwelling in the east will now have proper visuals and naming and will also only provide one champion unit as designed

[Improved] One Dragon Flame Tongue was replaced with a Dragon Fang Necklace

[Fixed] The Sandstorm-(De-)Buff will now correctly apply to the attackers after Imani came back (fixed also for existing savegames)

[Improved] The Scout will now be revealed if he happens to enter the FoW again after discovering him

[Fixed] A general issue was fixed that enabled player and AI to access Ninakula after loading a savegame

Sylvan 2

[Fixed] Two floating Objects were placed properly

[Improved] Disabled Week of Storm to ensure balance in the first fight

Sylvan 3

[Improved] Cinematic showing Shadris and Sorleth triggered during "Between Shadris and Sorleth" quest is now skipable

Dungeon 2

[Improved] One of the underground entrances is now more visible as it was quite hidden before

[Improved] Gossipmonger quest cinamatic tweaked to work properly

Final 1

[Improved] There is now minimap tracking for the "Peace Offering" quest

[Fixed] If you end the "Heart and Soul" quest using Nolwenn, Nolwenn was still the selected hero even though she changed the faction

[Fixed] The player is now able to complete the AM_Final_Map1 if he casts Instant Recall after solving the "Heart and Soul" quest

Final 2

[Fixed] An issue in the second map of Ivan's campaign, whereby a wrong dialogue was playing when completing a quest with Andras of Raven.

Yeshtar's Promise

[Fixed] Two clipping issues where fixed (Camera could go beneath the terrain; Artifact Chest was below the terrain)

[Fixed] A wrong soundfile was removed

[Fixed] The arena will now also give 10 Defense

[Improved] If you already fullfilled the Main Quest (captured the town), you can now load your savegame to finish the map (in the previous patch you still needed to end your turn once to take effect)

[Fixed] A general issue was fixed that enabled player to access the closed "choosing areas" after loading a savegame

The Story of Solmyr and the Efreet

[Fixed] The Dragon Nexus is now reachable

Ice Demons

[Fixed] Hero passes no longer through a bridge

The Timber War

[Fixed] Player no longer loses map if he only loses the city of Tyloth

[Fixed] Hole in landscape fixed

[Improved] Landscape increased so that the player can't see the borders of the level in the fog of war

[Fixed] The user received the same message twice if he gets close to both bridges on the map

[Improved] Map trigger was moved to the other side of the bridge

Skirmish

[Fixed] Several gameplay and visual issues have been adressed for the Savage Sea map.

[Fixed] An issue in Ruins of Dischord were the folliage was entering inside some buildings

[Improved] A new feature on Dried Lands were the expansion towns will never be the same faction as the your initial town to prevent unfairness in MP games.

[Improved] Some water areas were polished on dungeons and minions

[Improved] Camera behaviour tweaks on dungeons and minions

Editor

[Improved] Random Towns/Creatures/Forts/Dwellings now have a new feature to be a different faction from a town.
Random Artifacts

* Added item set and tier options
[Improved] Script Editor

* Added instigating army support to actions "Attack Army", "Rotate Army", "Interact with [Improved] Building", "Move to Army", "Move to Building" and "Move to Tile".

While the team is currently working on a new patch (more information on this update to be shared tomorrow), we would like today to take the time to congratulate all of you who already created great content from MMH7 map editor! Special thanks to Cta, mr.budilnik, Dark Whisperer, 3Lion and Valen-Teen!

We would like also to thank the great platforms allowing players to share their creations with the already well known
Maps4Heroes but also the newly created HoMMdb! Do not hesitate to check them out and share your links too!

Maps: unzip the content of the maps in the following folder: My Documents\My Games\Might & Magic Heroes VII\MMH7Game\CustomMaps\AdventureMaps\

Mods: current mods proposed on those websites are currently focusing on direct modifications of the game files, please carefully read related documentations and use them at your own risk only – no official support of those modifications.

We are looking forward to the development of this list of maps and mods and will continue to provide post launch support on the editor as for the game itself.

Our current focus is to provide the best experience with the game by fixing all technical issues in best delays but we will also prepare as previously announced tutorials for the map editor to ensure everybody can unleash its creativity!
Best,
The M&M Team.

Following the release of our first support patch last Wednesday, we are pleased to announce a small hotfix for MMH7. This new update will be titled 1.2.1 on the menu screen, so ensure you have the latest update by checking this. The hotfix is focused on performance issues and related to a save corruption.

It had been reported that after several hours of gameplay, after saving and loading multiple times, players would experience extensive load times and several RAM consumption problems. This issue was due to an exponential data increment in the save files from the Magic Guild building.

The team is currently working on a 1.3 patch for the upcoming weeks and we will keep you updated on progress as soon as possible.

[Fixed] A memory issue related to the Mages Guild in regards to saving and loading multiple times.

--------------------------------

In the meantime, we highly recommend you – especially Windows 10 users – to ensure your video card drivers are up to date. It has been reported by several users that performance improvements were experienced after update of those ones.

Today we are pleased to announce you the immediate availability of the
patch 1.2 for Might & Magic Heroes VII.

Downloading this new update should be automatic on both Uplay and Steam.

We highly recommend you to make sure that your Uplay launcher is set to
online mode in order to download this patch. To ensure that your game is up-to-date, you can check the revision number displayed on the title main screen.

Patch 1.2

This first update offers an overall solution regarding game blockers and other critical issues identified.

Patch 1.2 full release note is available at the end of this article. Please find below a quick recap of its content.
Patch 1.2, main points, non-exhaustive list:

Fixed Campaign & Scenario Maps walkthrough blockers

Improved AI speed and decision making process

Improved global compatibility and performances of the game

Fixed Load, Save & Autosave corruptions in various circumstances

Fixed Skills and Abilities effects and values

Many bug and glitch fixes

Improved multiplayer experience and stability

Improved Map editor feature and fixes

Improved Localization in various languages

Before going through the extensive list of fixes and improvements provided with this new update, we would like to take this opportunity to share with you our general impressions since the release of Heroes VII and answer some of your questions.

Some thoughts from the development team

While we’ve put all our passion and efforts working on this game, some critical issues escaped our attention, and we would like today to thank you for your intense feedback. Receiving your input greatly helped us to prepare this first patch and we encourage you to keep on sharing your detailed impressions on the game.
This patch has been finalized this morning and the top priority for us was to release it as soon as it was approved.

Next steps

This patch is the first one in our list. Be sure that we will continue to provide new fixes in the upcoming weeks to make sure that the game meets your expectations in terms of quality. We still have many things to improve over the next patch. Multiplayer and balancing will be among them.

Moreover, free content updates will also be available, with the first campaign of the “Lost Tales of Axeoth” to be released at the end of 2015, and the second one early next year. We will also provide support for the map editor through dedicated tutorials and the best community creations will be highlighted.

32 bit OS compatibility and memory optimization also are on our task list and we will continue to improve performances.

Thank you very much for your support, Heroes, please let us know what you think about this new patch and keep on sharing feedback in the forums!

Click below for full patch log

[Fixed] The AI heroes may remain stuck in front of their town blocking the human player from attacking the town or the heroes. This could happen on various maps/locations and should be fixed.

[Fixed] Solving two quests at once will not block the quest flow anymore. This lead to various potential blockers, especially on Necropolis 2.

Academy 2

[Fixed] An issue that the player can't complete the map, after choosing the "fight again" option at the Jadwa encounter.

[Fixed] An issue with enemy AI hiding in the sanctuary.

Academy 3

[Fixed] A potential blocker related to secondary heroes (aka not Hisham) being used for the final fight.

[Fixed] If a secondary hero picks up the "Flower of Dolor" the map can be bugged.

[Fixed] The Tear of Asha is not placed at the exact spot indicated by the Treasure Map

Academy 4

[Fixed] If a secondary hero picks up the "Flower of Dolor" the map can be bugged.

Dungeon 4

[Fixed] Light effect changes abruptly if the player navigates through the surface area using arrow keys

Haven 2

[Fixed] Loading a saved game made after Tomas is trapped by Gloria on Haven Map 2 will trigger an infinite auto End Turn.

Haven 3

[Fixed] Konrad could win the fight with Serguei Griffin which was not intended.

[Fixed] There should now be a quest marker for the last step in Soul Quest quest.

[Fixed] There should now be quest markers for the State of Siege quest.

[Improvements] Camera should now be focused on projectiles from triggered catapults.

[Improvements] The narration should now play until the end when you find Biliashi.

[Improvements] The mines now become Neutral when you block those using catapults.

Necropolis 2

[Fixed] Final cinematic will not trigger if the user defeats the rebel AI before finishing the other objective.

Necropolis 5

[Fixed] Samaariih castle cannot be accessed

Sylvan 1

[Fixed] An issue leading to the player being unable to enter a new ship after loading a save game.

Sylvan 3

[Fixed] An issue related to the player being unable to board the ship manufactured in the shipyard on the spawning island.

[Fixed] Player is unable to board the ship manufactured in the shipyard on the spawning island

Final 1

[Fixed] A crash when restarting fight against Vayaron on Final Map 1 (general crash fix for some misbehaving buffs).

[Fixed] The boat offered by Lasir resets after a Save/Load is performed

Final 2

[Fixed] Catapults had a problem where they would only shoot once instead of twice as was intended. Now all 4 catapults can shoot twice.

[Improvement] The player is now informed of the available reinforcements that Andras receives after finishing the "Raven Wings" quest.

Skirmish/Scenario Maps

[Fixed] issue related to the victory conditions on Yeshtar´s Promise

[Fixed] FPS drop and constant freezes during combat after several gameplay hours on Bloodpact

[Fixed] Some maps are showing Day 1 twice on the second day

[Fixed] The player is unable to finish the map as the Sweristal and Nawal castles cannot be captured on certain circumstances on Dungeons and Minions

[Fixed] Major FPS drop (13 FPS) after at least 4-5 hours of gameplay on a hero with level 19 and massive army on Bloodpact

[Fixed] Ice Demons map has the standard Skirmish Quest active

AI specific

[Improvement] AI turns have again had their speed increased exponentially. Under the fog of war the AI will act even faster.

[Improvement] AI will now give a higher threat value to ranged units, as well as having a 'tighter' threat evaluation within combat maps when addressing what to attack. Working on this is an ongoing task and will be further improved in the future.

[Improvement] Calculations for what damaging moves to use have also been improved. As an example if an enemy unit stack is low in numbers or has low health the AI will no longer use its most powerful spell to kill it, but instead work out what is the most cost efficient spell to do get the job done.

[Improvement] Optimised AI thinking times on Adventure map, which are now near-instant. NOTE: AI interactions with forts still take up to three extra seconds due to the fort destruction/repair animations.

[Fixed] An issue/crash related to uninitialized armies performing checks for the pathfinding.

[Fixed] An issue related to AI calculations for reachability which could result in a crash.

[Fixed] Caravans that could not be unloaded now properly show up in the Caravanserai.

[Fixed] Quest objective counters are always localized correctly, even when loading a savegame from a different language.

[Improvement] The Tear of Asha can now be retrieved from the precise cell as well as its neighbours.

[Fixed] Masfar recovers 10 movement points after every manual combat if he has the Stables Buff on Academy 2.

[Fixed] After using a teleport scroll, the teleport spell will still appear in the spellbook with 0 Mana and can be cast again every battle.

[Improved] Sounds for creature animations are sometimes interrupted by another action. Issue relates to multiple bugs relating to death and move sounds that are not played until the end, as they get interrupted by other actions in queue.

[Fixed] [AdventureMap] Messages will appear on the screen if the Hero will interact with his caravan on the adventure map

[Fixed] [AdventureMap] Unreachable Neutral Army is present on the map Savage Sea.

[Fixed] [LD/LA] Orange smoke is present after viewing the map at a certain angle

[Fixed] [Text] Build version number displayed on screen during the credits roll

Multiplayer Specific

[Fixed] various Out of Sync issues so they will not occur as often anymore. However there are still some scenarios were an Out of Sync may occur and providing us game logs for this issue is a massive help. As a side note if you do Out of Sync in a multiplayer match the save data will not be corrupt therefore you can re make the game and carry on where you left off for a quick work around.

[Fixed] a bug related to joining a game lobby.

[Fixed] several out of sync issues in Multiplayer Games.

when interacting with a Dangerous Cave in sim turns.

when attacking an Enemy in Combat that has 3 Nature's Revenge stacks with a ranged unit.

when attacking a small creature Stack with a Basilisk Lancer in combat.

when a unit with a cover bonus is getting attacked by ranged in combat.

[Fixed] corrupted Camera at the beginning of a Multiplayer Duel Session.

[Fixed] an issue where the game got stuck in multiplayer in the AIs turn sometimes.

[Fixed] an issue where the game goes out of sync during th AIs turn sometimes.

[Fixed] [Normal Turn] Host gets a week popup notification screen at the start of the match in any map which he cannot cancel if the match is played in Normal turn setting

[Fixed] Team chat option does not exist

[Fixed] [Online/LAN] The damage dealt logs during the masked combat are visible on the spectator screen when the game is switched to Window mode

Duel mode:

[Fixed] Option to change combat speed is not available in duel lobby

[Fixed] The user can see through the map before the tactics phase

GUI / HUD

[Fixed] Issues with the tooltips in the quickbar fixed

[Improvement] several GUI situations which lead to potential memory issues

[Fixed] Fixed right-click not working in main menu

[Fixed] Minimap: Icons are now properly scaled

[Fixed] Minimap: Resolved several issues with ships

[Fixed] Minimap: Heroes are now always the highest icons

[Fixed] The Governor Tooltip now has proper layout

[Fixed] Text Buttons no longer have pixels where they don't react

[Fixed] Fixed various lobby settings and displays

Additional GUI/HUD fixes

[Fixed] [HUD] Title crashes after spamming two keybindings "A" with "H".

[Fixed] [HUD] The catapult repair panel overlaps the dialogue between Andras and Kente on Final Map 2.

“ Ubisoft regrets any confusion created by the marketing materials from our Might and Magic Heroes VII Collector’s Edition. We understand that some customers in North America were not aware the Collector’s Edition delivered digital versions of the game and soundtrack. Ubisoft apologizes for any frustration and disappointment resulting from these items being in digital format vs. physical format. We are accepting complete refunds from any dissatisfied customers and will be providing a compensation plan of one complimentary digital PC game for consumers that have already purchased the Might and Magic Heroes VII Collector’s Edition from the Uplay shop in North America. Affected consumers will be able to pick one game of their choice from a selection including Far Cry 4, Assassin’s Creed Rogue, The Crew, Toy Soldiers: War Chest Hall of Fame Edition and Zombi.
Ubisoft is working on the logistics of the compensation plan and will be reaching out to effected consumers by the end of the week.”

We are sorry for the inconvenience and hope the above statement will help to clarify the current situation.

Best,The M&M Team.

]]>
561adecc888ef67f09747d14http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/official-statement-mmh7-us-collector-s-edition
Mon, 12 Oct 2015 00:12:28 +0200General discussion[Important] How to report bugs
Please find underneath a new status update to give you more visibility on upcoming patch but also a direct request from the team for additional inputs and logs.

The patch

First thing first, we know many of you are eagerly waiting for this first patch. Be sure the team has not been taking any rest since the release of the title and is working hard on this update. We are doing our best to fix top priority issues and improve game experience to the level you could expect from a Heroes title at release.

It has been decided to create a first “big patch” instead of several little ones to ensure the stability and compatibility of the various fixes all together. It also ensures our QC team gives the most thorough look at it. Patch 1 should provide over 120+ fixes we will detail in the upcoming days.

Release date is still to be confirmed but we are aiming at next week if our tests are conclusive.

Why we need your feedback

The game was highly tested and this for several months by dedicated teams. However, each computer is “unique” due to its hardware components of course but above all, its software (every little software you install, uninstall, have to update etc.). This is something that we can’t reproduce of course and thus, many cases will have to be handled almost case by case. In order to be able to do it, we need more information directly from you.

Unfortunately, we identified that many players were trying to launch the game on computers that were not meeting minimum required specs.

In order to work on solutions for this kind of issue, today we need your precious inputs. Indeed, by sharing your feedback and logs, we will be able to better identify, reproduce and fix encountered issues. Even if we understand your frustration, we need today your best and most constructive inputs to make sure we don’t miss anything.

For instance, logs will give us the possibility to identify where/when issues appear and identify a potential explanation for them -which is most of the time impossible to “guess”-.

Why the Customer Support?

To really understand why we are pushing Customer Support for bug report it is necessary to have an overview of our bug treatment process.
When you submit your feedback to the Customer Support, this input is translated into a ticket in our tools which will be transferred to the appropriate team after sorting. Tickets concerning the game will be directly integrated in our development team bug-tracking tool. Thus, this is the most efficient way to share your feedback for the game.

It may happen you don’t receive an immediate answer but don’t worry, as it can take some time to go through all tickets and answer them. But in the end all of them will be eventually addressed, sorted and put in our bug database.

Sharing constructive feedback on Customer Support

Common tips before starting:

If you are experiencing any issues related to the graphics or performance in the game, please make sure that you have installed the latest drivers for your graphics card. You can download them from the following websites:

Please make sure that the game settings are appropriate to your PC configuration. You can find more information about the requirements HERE.
Once done, please follow the section below that resembles your issue the closest.

Sharing logs

When contacting support we highly recommend you to attach following elements with your ticket (especially for crashes and connectivity issues):

Game Logs

Where to find them: "$\Users\USERNAME\Documents\My Games\Might & Magic Heroes VII\MMH7Game\Logs\"
File to upload: “launcher_log.txt” à
This file will be the one of your last launch of the game, if the issue appeared previously, please upload related log depending on log naming (date-hour).

Non listed issue: For all other feedback please do not hesitate to use this link HERE

Thank you very much in advance for your support Heroes, we are looking forward receiving your feedback.
The M&M team.
]]>
561401a5adae37d23732cf81http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/important-how-to-report-bugs
Tue, 06 Oct 2015 19:15:17 +0200General discussionSituation Status: 02/10 – 7:45PM CEST
First of all we would like to thank you all for your patience and support in those last days. We have been carefully reading your feedback/bugs report and many of you shared a great interest in the game despite remaining issues (some already played more than 35 hours!!!).

Upcoming Patch (more information to come)

The team is currently working a first patch and we will keep you updated on our progress on this matter in the upcoming week. Our objective is to tackle on this update emergency topics such as:

Multiplayer desync, Global performances, Broken script in campaigns, Save/Load issues, Balancing and more to be confirmed.

Cheat Window

Before the weekend, we would like also to share with you the activation process of the Cheat window which we hope could help you before the release of this patch.

Important information:

Using cheats is at your own risks. It may alter your save games in major way. So we really want to stress that you have to be careful when using it. The cheat window may have different impacts in your game session since you will not be following the real flow of the maps. For instance teleport feature might not trigger all scripts in the maps required to complete the quests. Use it wisely or you may end up with broken saves.

Once again, use this tool cautiously only if you feel you REALLY need it.
How to activate Cheat Window:

// Example of topics: Unable to launch Game / Editor, Crash after video etc.
Again, we would like to remind you that in all cases, Uplay/Steam must be launched as administrator, if not you might not be able to download patches, launch the game etc.
// Right click - Properties - Compatibility - Check the box "Run this program as an administrator"

To ensure best acknowledgment and treatment of your feedback, could you please share your answers on the following threads:

We would like to thank you all for your support and inputs! A special thanks to BeYo_OnD who greatly helped us to identify workaround for laptop issues.

Campaign/Maps scripting issues

We are currently investigating issues related to campaign completion and will keep you updated on a regular basis on our progress.

Important information: It seems many players reporting this issue may not meet required computer specs, if so, you might experience scripting issues preventing you to complete some maps due to insufficient memory www.mmh7.com/shop

Best,
The M&M Team
]]>
560bdf4eadae37d93bb51af3http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/situation-status-30-09-3pm-cest
Wed, 30 Sep 2015 15:10:38 +0200General discussionSituation Status: 29/09 - 10:30 PM CEST
First of all we would like to thank you all for support and your patience in those last hours. With this article, we would like to give you an overview of the current situation: the different elements we are working on and potential workarounds identified by whether the community or the studio.

September 29th 10:30 PM CEST

Game availability
- The game should be available for all players on both Uplay & Steam. If it is not the case on your side, please contact customer support for more assistance on this topic https://support.ubi.com

Unable to launch the game
- Windows 10 users: We're aware about the Windows 10 Compatibility, and we're currently investigating them.. If the last update from 7pm CEST did not solved your issues, we recommend you to try following workarounds.
- Laptop users: We are currently investigating laptop user issues, please try following workarounds.
- Potential workarounds (unofficial solutions):

For W10 users, you can try to set compatibility to Windows 7/8 on your executable by right clicking on “MMH7Game-Win64-Shipping.exe” (available on GameInstallFolder\Binaries\Win64\) selecting compatibility tap and Run with Windows 7/8 Compatibility.

[Unsupported] Launching the game using win32 executable (GameInstallFolder\Binaries\Win32\MMH7Game-Win32-Shipping.exe)

Day one Patch:
/!\ Day one version of the game is 31895
- Preload: If you preloaded the title, you will have to download a 2-3gb patch to launch the game
- Retail installation: As mentioned in previous articles, a day one patch of 11gb is mandatory to be able to launch the game in best conditions

MMH7 story depicts the civil war that changed the ruling dynasty of the Holy Empire. The Empress’ murder has left an empty throne, a realm in flames and too many hungry rivals intent on claiming it. The Duke Ivan calls together a prestigious council of six trusted advisors in search of a viable path for putting an end to this war of succession.

Join the fight and shape the future of Ashan through 7 exciting campaigns and hundred hours of turn based strategy!

We would like to also thank all of you for your great support and engagement since the announcement of the game. The Shadow Council has been quite an exciting journey and we hope you also enjoyed being part of it! We will come back in the following weeks to ask your feedback about the website and its content, stay tuned!

Of course we will continue to provide content on this Council and support information for the title after the release. We hope you will enjoy the title as we enjoyed working on it, please let us know what you think on the comments!

For more information about the Day one version and support, please refer to the following article: Release note

And here we are. Heroes 7 is now released into the wild and we hope you will enjoy it. We can’t wait to read your feedback!

The paint is still fresh and there are a couple of screws that need to be tightened here and there, but the ride should be smooth for everyone.

/!\ AN IMPORTANT REMINDER /!\ If you are a disc owner, please make sure to download the mandatory day-1 patch. We know it is a big one, but it is very important you install it. We promise, it is worth the effort.

The game overall is in great shape, but we still have some issues for you to note:

- Single Player:

A couple of load/save issues on a few specific campaign maps, with some events not triggering if you load an autosave file at a specific timing. Nothing major, usually you just need to reload a previous file to work around it

On the Yeshtar’s Promise scenario map, the final text box is not properly triggered after completing the map.

AI Shooters tend to use Defend instead of their melee weapons when a unit is close to them.

- Multiplayer

Some desync persists in Duel and Skirmish on combat map

Title might crash when the AI defeats one of the human players while he is allied with another human player

- 32 bit version:

This only applies to Windows 7 32 bits users. We have a last minute issue on this version that prevents us to release it alongside the 64 bits version. It will be released a bit later after launch. We apologize for this inconvenience. If that’s an issue for you and you need to reconsider you purchase, please contact support which will get you sorted.

- Windows 10:

As for Closed Beta 1 and 2, Windows 10 is not yet officially supported. It might work on your PC (it already runs great on our side with this OS), but we can’t guarantee this at the moment for everyone. It is at your own risk. We will work on the Windows 10 support during the post launch of the game.

The full list of the most important known issues is available here. Those will be addressed during post launch.

Once again, your feedback is super important. So please do report your issues and your bugs to our support team. They do forward those to us and our QC team. And of course, forums and the Shadow Council are a good place to report them as well.

Please remember we are committed to the long run for this game. Which means updates and free content will arrive over the next few months. We have already a first patch in the pipe-line that should reach you very soon ;)

Have fun Councillors, and see you on the battlefields of Ashan!
]]>
560a7943adae37947eb51af3http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/day-one-version-release-note
Tue, 29 Sep 2015 13:42:59 +0200General discussionGetting started with MMH7

We know most of you are veteran-heroes and will be able to directly jump into MMH7 journey but we wanted to share today a quick getting started article to allow any player to understand how to play the title focusing on some key gameplay elements.

The World of Ashan

The world of Ashan was created by Asha, the Dragon of Order, during what is known as the Mythic Age. Her brother Urgash, the Dragon of Chaos, then created the Demons in an attempt to surpass his sister’s creation. These two Primordial Dragons fought during what would later be called the “Wars of Creation”, and it changed the face of the world. The time now is centuries later, and the Dragons have disappeared from Ashan. The surface of the planet is populated by various factions, often separated by a troubled history of long-lasting grudges and conflicts.

The story

Heroes VII tells the story of young Duke Ivan striving to restore peace in a time of civil torment. Facing political decisions with dire consequences in his ascension to the Imperial throne, 6 councilors from 6 distinct factions support his claim to rule. These advisors tell himglorious stories of legendary heroes from the world of Ashan’s past, so that he may choose the surest path to power and forge his own destiny.

Main Menu

Here you can select the game mode you want to play campaign, duel or multiplayer

Campaign: Join Ivan’s council, click on any counselor to hear his story and play the story of a glorious hero of Ashan

Singleplayer: Play a duel, create a game, or load a game

Multiplayer Create or join a duel game, create or join a game, or load a game

When you create a game, singleplayer and multiplayer, you have to select the map and setup the options you want for this game.

Adventure Map Main Interface

Minimap

The minimap is a small representation of the whole adventure map. A small trapezoid shows where the camera is looking on the adventure map. The minimap shows the location of different objectives, like towns or heroes. With the button on the side, you can select the object you want to display on the minimap, toggle on/off the area of control and also switch the view between surface and underground here.

Command Panel

Controls

Using your mouse will be the primary way you interact with your Hero, Environment and Game interface. You will also be able to display tool tip information for a variety of reasons.
In Adventure mode using the Left mouse button / Mouse 1 will allow you to move your Hero and complete different actions. Clicking once will preview the path, the green dots are the distance your Hero can move for that turn. The white dots show that you cannot move that far on this turn, but that this path is available for later turns. Another click will confirm the move.

Using the Right mouse bottom / Mouse 2 will allow you to view detailed tool tips about heroes, enemies, buildings, towns…
Using the Middle mouse wheel you can Scroll Up / Scroll down to zoom in and out. This can be done on both the Adventure map and the combat map.

Towns screen

In this screen you can build new structures, hire new heroes, recruit creature or warfare units, trade resources, learn spells, send spies or review the local defenses.

Combat

Combat in Heroes of Might and Magic 7 is split into two phases.
The Tactical Phase. Here you will use your strategic prowess to set the formation of your troops before battle. The Combat Phase. This is where you will strike down your enemy choosing how your creatures attack or damaging the enemy with powerful spells cast directly by your hero.

Tactical Phase

The starting location of your troops is a key component to winning fights in Heroes of Might and Magic. Not protecting your weaker, higher damaging units or placing units too close to the enemy could lead to disastrous results.

Drag and drop available to deploy or move units. Greyed out units are already on the field and highlighted units are yet to be placed. Some units are larger and thus require more space to place them. Ensure you have the correct placement to get the maximum amount of troops.

Once everything is where you want it use this to deploy them and move to combat

You know what troops you can move as it will be highlighted yellow. The Green Grid shows how far it can move for that turn.

Combat Phase

The Combat Phase is where your wits will be put to the test, with one wrong move potentially causing you to lose your Hero, or be rewarded with the enemies entire Kingdom. It is here you will be able to use your hero directly to influence the outcome of the fight, using spells to help you creatures or harm your foes, special warcry abilities to raise impact of your army and just attack directly using your might. Ensuring you don´t over extend your troops to get surrounded or fail to protect your ranged attacks is what separates the mighty from the meek.

Unit action

The initiative bar (1) displays in which order friendly and enemy units will act. From left to right. You will find which unit will act, The active unit is also highlighted yellow on the map.

You can move a unit in any cell highlighted in green.

To attack, point the mouse cursor on any sides of an enemy’s unit. Cursor will turn into a sword. Click to attack. Attacking from flank or from behind will optimize your attacks.

On top of the active unit’s portrait, you have the available
special action (2) for this unit: Wait, defend. Some units also have some special active abilities

Hero action

Once a turn a hero can attack a unit with the sword button (3a) or press the spellbook (3b) to open it and select a spell or warcry.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Many actions in the game can be bound to your keyboard, allowing for greater speed and fluid gameplay. These shortcuts are entirely customizable to fulfil the needs of each individual player. You can view your shortcuts by going to the Options menu and looking in the 'Keybindings' tab.

You will notice that certain shortcuts will work differently depending on what part of the game you are currently in. For example;

Pressing the Esc key whilst in a menu will close that menu. Pressing it again will then open the Options menu.

You can also combine multiple keys on your keyboard to bind actions as well. Using both the Shift key and the 1 key at the same time to Select your starting hero. And then using your Shift key and the 2 key to select your second hero.
The following Keybinds are set up by default.

The journey is almost over. Heroes VII will release on Tuesday, September 29th 2015, at 2pm CEST!

Almost three years in the making, 50+ developers both at Limbic and Ubisoft, 50+ testers, millions of code lines, thousands of art assets, terabytes of data, 223 Shadow Council posts and counting, 12 important votes… A lot of people have poured their souls, sweat and blood into this new episode.

We had a great time (and sometimes great headaches) developing it. We are both impatient and a bit anxious to press the big red button on Tuesday, and see the first streams on Twitch, the first comments on forums and the first love/hate comments from our fans.

It has been quite an arduous journey, full of high points, traps, mishaps, U-turns and surprises, both big and small. And this journey would have not been possible without you, our dear Councilors. Your passion, your commitment and your relentless enthusiasm have fuelled our work. Sure, we had (and still have) our disagreements, but we hope the end result will please (almost) everyone, and that Heroes 7 will be remembered as a great episode in this venerable series. So, once again, thanks, from the bottom of our hearts.As we said, September 29th will see the release of Heroes 7 on all channels, both digital and physical. It is quite a big baby, clocking in at 13.2GB. That being said, and with our apologies, unfortunately, physical retail players will have to go through a mandatory day-1 patch after installation before enjoying the game. And it is quite a large one: 11.5GB.

There is a very simple reason for that. Our manufacturing deadline was quite aggressive and in order to hit stores on September 29th, we had to send our game into duplication around mid-August. But that doesn’t mean game development stopped at that time. Quite the contrary! We doubled down on feature implementation, debugging and polishing every bit of the game until the very last moment. We are still doing some minute adjustments to the build as we speak. And in videogame development, the final weeks are ALWAYS the most crucial ones. This is where a game is made or broken. And boy, the game did make tremendous progress in the past few weeks. It really feels like the real thing and we are quite excited by the results.

Forget Closed Beta 2, we are now way further in terms of polish and bug fixing. But that means disc owners will have to apply this massive update, as otherwise they would miss all the good things we managed to squeeze in. Patching procedure is completely automated and the day-1 patch will download and apply by itself through Uplay once you have installed the game. Just go through the download and you will be able to launch the game with the latest patch applied. Again, we apologize to our fans for this situation, but game quality is our absolute priority. So please bear with us, as we believe it will be well worth the effort.

Of course, digital players won’t see a difference, as they will get the final version directly. By the way, the game is available for preload if you want to be sure to start playing at 2:00pm CEST on Tuesday J

Official day-1 version is named 31895 in the main menu

But release is only the start for Heroes 7. A page is turning, but a new journey begins. Release will see the start of the post-launch phase of this epic tale. New patches, new free content, balancing, fixes and more will be made available over the next few months. The Lost Tales of Axeoth have already been announced, but we have some other surprises up our sleeves. We are committed to supporting this game in the long run and we will continue to work on it and improve it for a long time.

User maps and modding will also be a big focus for us, as Heroes 7 will ship along a powerful set of map editing and modding tools, the very same we are using to develop this game. We can’t wait to see what you guys will produce. We are also looking at ways to support and help you master those tools, along with some detailed tutorials from the team if time allows. Those tools will also be improved and updated on a regular basis.

As you saw during our latest stream on Twitch, we’ve made good progress on AI, both in terms of play time and challenge. We will go through your feedbacks, along with balancing, to adjust and finely tune the game. Heroes specializations are also on our mind, as you have been quite vocal about it. We can’t promise anything at this point, but it is a topic that is definitely on our priority list regarding the future of Heroes 7.

Do not hesitate to communicate your feedback to us. There are many ways to do it: live streams, YouTube videos, posts on the SC, messages on our forums or yours, FB posts, and of course, the ever important customer service (support.ubi.com). You can send your bugs through it but also feedback.

Thanks again Councilors for your patience and your enthusiasm!

We hope you will enjoy this game and we can’t wait to continue this journey together.

We are pleased to announce you that Might & Magic Heroes VII preload is now available on Uplay & all supported PC platforms! Thanks to the preload, you will be able to anticipate your download of the game and be fully prepared to play the game on Tuesday!

To anticipate the release of the title set in exactly 7 days (one week to go!), we decided to organize not one but two new stream sessions in the upcoming days! Don’t miss them! :)

Join us to discover some last glimpses of MMH7 content and ask your remaining questions to the team before laying hands on the game by yourselves!

On Friday 25th at 3pm CEST: live from Limbic Entertainment with the dev team! Join the developers for a new Q&A session and an update on your CB2 feedback (including AI, bug fixes etc.) http://www.twitch.tv/limbic_entertainment/

On Monday 28th at 6pm CEST: last stream before release with the team! Discover in exclusivity the beginning of the campaign mode and celebrate with us the upcoming release of the title! www.twitch.tv/ubisoft/

When I asked you what should be the topic of my next tales, I didn’t expect that so many of you would be familiar with the Netherlord, Sandro, and would like to hear more about him.

The way Sandro and his Order remain shrouded in mystery would make us Faceless proud, if their tool was not the power of the Void, the negation of magic and existence itself. Indeed, while some refer to the nethermancers’ powers as “Void magic”, it is a misconception. Nethermancers call upon the emptiness that predates all of creation, including what we call magic.

Those who have met the Netherlord (and retained their memories of that meeting), describe him as calm, cunning and well-mannered, a charming personality that contrasts starkly with his ghoulish and skeletal appearance. Alternatively, those who fought against him (and lived to tell the tale) describe him as ruthless, unforgiving, paranoid and, of course, extremely manipulative.

How Sandro himself has managed to not be consumed by the Void and returned to nothingness is only one of many enigmas that surround the self-proclaimed “Great Lich”. This story of his life is full of guesses, holes and contradictions, and should be considered unreliable at best.

To the best of my knowledge, before there was a Netherlord named Sandro, there was a man of flesh and blood named Alejandro dela Segadora.

Alejandro was born in the year 444 YSD, and was the only son of Vidal dela Segadora, a count of the Bull duchy, and his fourth wife. Despite having had numerous daughters, the count was still longing for a son. But right from the start, the shadow of death hanged over the boy. The countess died giving birth, and at first it seemed the baby was stillborn. However, the infant miraculously came back to life after a few moments, leading his grieving father to believe Elrath had heard and answered his prayers.

Growing up, Alejandro was a strange and precocious child. At an early age, he already knew how to read and write, displaying great intelligence – sometimes frighteningly so. He didn’t get along with his older sisters very well, except one, Alma, who shared his love for books. According to some sources, he also had a deep, reciprocated dislike of his father’s new wife.

As time went by, his father started to worry about Alejandro. Not only his son seemed uninterested in hunting, fighting, and warring, but the way he was telling stories of strange places and times “like he had been there” unsettled Vidal. At first the count thought it only had to do with the books his son was always seen reading and considered it to the sign of an overactive imagination. But it was obvious the boy was much more mature than he should have been for his age.

Eventually Vidal asked a priest of Elrath to come and see the boy. The priest explained Alejandro had a rare power: due to his near-death experience at birth, he had retained a strong connection with the Spirit World and possessed the “natural” ability to journey in this alternate plane during his sleep. The cleric advised to send Alejandro to the seminary where they would make him a great priest of the Light.

That didn’t work out well. Alejandro was always debating with his teachers, always putting their faith and beliefs into question with common sense and simple logic. The priests began to fear his insolence would spread to other students. They tried to isolate him, to punish him, to break him physically and mentally, in order to have him admit the greatness of Elrath. Alejandro only laughed, claiming they were just a bunch of ignorant old fools blindly following the laws dictated by the Angels. One night they found his cell empty: Alejandro had escaped.

That is where Alejandro dela Segadora disappears from history. A few years later, one can find the first vague mentions of a disfigured Necromancer named “Sandro” among Belketh’s closest disciples. It is my belief that Alejandro and Sandro are one and the same, although I couldn’t find much information regarding his arrival in the Seven Cities and how he joined House Eterna. But even the Void cannot erase everything, especially from a Faceless. Finding secrets is, after all, one of Malassa’s commandments.

It seems that during his time in the Seven Cities Sandro became increasingly rebellious towards the Dragon Gods, and resented the transformation of House Eterna into a Spider Cult. Having had visions of other worlds and never doubting their reality, he started to believe the whole of Ashan was actually a prison, built to retain souls for eternity, much like Sheogh was for the Demons. Sandro saw the Dragon Gods as little more than parasites, sustaining themselves with mortal souls and faiths. Sandro believed Undeath was the first step to escape this cycle, but he refused to drink the venom of the Namtarus, the sacred spiders, since he feared it would turn him into Asha’s puppet.

As a result, Sandro turned to the Void, older than the Dragons, which he considered a much better source of power… if much more dangerous. It is believed it is his meddling with the Void that caused his current appearance, and that Sandro only “survived” by binding his soul to his own bones. How much of that is the truth and how much is a tall tale… I leave the decision to you.

Faking obedience to Asha, Sandro started working behind the scenes to take control of the Spider Cult. But his coup was foiled by Vein, who had once been his best friend, and had become suspicious of Sandro’s behavior, especially in the light of one of the Mother Namtaru’s prophecies. Arrested, Sandro was put on trial, while his disciples and accomplices were executed. Out of respect for the one who had been at his side from the beginning, Belketh requested clemency for Sandro. Condemned to exile, Sandro disappeared from the Seven Cities. He only reappeared four decades later.

It is not known with certainty what he did during that time, but he was far from inactive. Some claim he travelled the world, studying ancient Shantiri ruins and travelling to distant lands and lost continents. More importantly, he found a way to acquire the Mask of the False Face, an ancient artefact that allowed him to change his appearance at will, like we Faceless do. Some tie him or his followers to the theft of the Throne of Renewal, the incident of the Five Towers and even what occurred in Shanriya around 570 YSD. The fact several accounts of these events exist, with nobody able to tell with clarity what really transpired, give us a clue that the power of the Void must have played a significant part, even if Sandro wasn’t involved in person.

All these years of wandering had in any case strengthened Sandro’s purpose: with the power of the Void, he would “liberate” the people of Ashan from the so-called Dragon Gods once and for all, allowing their souls to ascend to a higher, purer state, essentially becoming gods themselves. Of course, that’s assuming that anything would continue to exist if Ashan was returned to the Void, which, in itself, is either a leap of faith or dangerous insanity.

With his newfound Order of the Void, Sandro has already tried several times to put his plan into motion, although fortunately these attempts were thwarted every time. Unsurprisingly, his targets of choice have been the Mother Namtaru and Elrath. There are some who claim he was somehow involved in the attacks against the Dragon Knights and their Hidden Houses during the Third Eclipse.

The same people even say Sandro was actually slain in battle, but I wouldn’t count on it. It may take him a year, a decade or a century, but eventually, Sandro will be back… And when he does, the very existence of Ashan and its people will once again be in dire danger.

As you already know, the Deluxe & the Collector’s Edition for Might & Magic Heroes VII will feature the new incarnation of a beloved hero of the Academy faction: the djinn, Solmyr. Owners of those editions will be able to use this unique character in skirmish and multiplayer maps, but also in a special scenario map recounting one of his many adventures.

Solmyr

As with other “classic” heroes such as Darkstorm, Edric or Minasli, this Solmyr is not the exact same individual seen on Enroth or Axeoth, but a separate incarnation native to Ashan. Just like there was a Yog on Xeen and another Yog on Enroth (and now a third Yog on Ashan as well), this version of Solmyr both has similarities and differences with his previous incarnations.

Race: Djinn

Affinity: Magic

Class: Djinn Lord (you can read more about it below)

Specialization: Chain Lightning Master (the hero starts with the Chain Lightning spell, and can cast the spell without any restrictions in regard to Arcane Knowledge.)

Biography:Legendary in Wizard tales for his strong sense of honour and duty, as well as his mastery of the school of Air, Solmyr was actually the very first Djinn to manifest on Ashan when Sar-Elam discovered the Plane of Magic. In the last decades however Solmyr has been spending more and more time with the Blind Brothers, helping them keep records of the events that shaped the world of Ashan -- many of which he has witnessed firsthand.

Solmyr’s unique class: Djinn Lord

The Djinn Lord class is Solmyr’s unique class, and is essentially the most Magic-oriented class of Heroes VII. Solmyr has access to all magic schools, with the notable exception of Earth, and can attain Ultimate or Major ranks for most of them.

The downside of Solmy’s versatility when it comes to the arcane arts is, of course, his lack of Might skills. He does have access to Exploration, Paragon and Destiny, but only at the Minor rank.

Solmyr’s adventure

As mentioned above, Solmyr will also star in his own scenario map. We won’t reveal too much about it as we don’t want to spoil its surprises, but here is the gist of this map’s storyline:

565 YSD. A cry for help resonating in the depths of the Spirit World sends Solmyr on a quest to the far reaches of the Sahaar desert… But his journey through oases, badlands, swamps and ruins will be filled with dangers, from zealous Necromancers to bloodthirsty Orcs, not to mention the dark secret sleeping in the cursed volcano known as Mount Iblis. To rescue someone dear to him, Solmyr will have to face a familiar adversary who might be more than the Djinn Lord’s match.

Today we would like to share with you an article about a secondary journey of Ivan during the development of MMH7.

Indeed, Ivan not only conquered the throne in the world of Ashan but also the top spot in MMH7 Collector’s Edition! We know some of you are enthusiast collectors and so wanted to give you an overview of the creation process of such figurine from the early beginning to final production.

First of all, this was an evidence that we would create a Collector’s Edition for Heroes VII and the figurine was for us a mandatory content for such version. Since game scenario is based on the ascension of the warrior Ivan, we decided to dig the possibilities offered by such character.

To do so, we started to draft various posing to identify the best concepts we could come up with. Our artists proposed almost ten of them and we had in addition to select to the best potential ones, be sure that those were also technically achievable. This is an important step in figurine creation since if your concept is not well-balanced, it will break eventually or just seems “odd” in the end.
Moreover, we did some “live-testing” to verify the coherence of those posing by taking picture of team members levering swords!

Some Ivan’s posing concepts

After internal deliberations, 2 models stood out and even if we had our own preference here, we really wanted not be the one deciding in the end since a collector is first and foremost for the fans. Thus, we reiterated those 2 concepts to propose full 2D arts for both of them and put them to vote in the Shadow Council. After a full week of debate and vote, you decided to go for Ivan the Strategist!

You have chosen: The Strategist!

We then took this result and contacted an old fella: Hugues Martel, former artistic director for the Might & Magic franchise. Hugues is now in charge of a company called Pure Arts, dedicated to the realization of quality figurine especially for the Gaming industry (you might already have seen some of their previous creations on other games).

Hugues finalizing Ivan’s polishing

A few words from Hugues:

What is your connection with the M&M Franchise?

Hugues Martel: Might & Magic is a franchise really kind to my heart and I had the opportunity to develop this universe as Senior Artist Director during several years. Even today, I’m still regularly involved in design meetings for the development of potential new games in the franchise. This was for me a great pleasure to return to my “old loves” with the creation of this new figurine for MMH7.

Do you have any anecdotes to share concerning Ivan’s figurine?

Hugues Martel: During the creation process of Ivan’s figurine we listed the death of 1800 paintbrushes, only by doing the “gold brush” on his armor! Moreover, all “blood” drops on the bottom part of Ivan’s cape were produced with the good old method of the “toothbrush splash”. However, we lost track of the number of victims here.

A first prototype was elaborated entirely by hand with clay based on our 2D art. The objective of such preliminary step was to confirm the feasibility of such creation but also its potential final quality.

From clay prototype to first 3d renders

Excited by this project kind to his heart, those specialist really wanted to obtain top notch quality with this figurine and decided for the following steps to create a full detailed 3D model of Ivan. Thanks to the CGI trailer of MMH7 announcement we already had the face of Ivan but all the others parts were still to be worked. Pure Arts decided to create their own 3D model of Ivan allowing a perfect anticipation of their future needs.

First render already was surprisingly good but we still made some changes to make it even better. Some fans requested a helmet during the vote and we also wanted to see what it could bring to the character so we made the decision to propose both of them! One head with a face, one head with a helmet. By using different heads we were also able to ensure a better sturdiness of this griffin armor piece. Designing the helmet was quite an adventure since we had no visual for this one ready. After researches we found in our database an old visual with a suiting helmet but the picture size really was “small” so we had to entirely redesign it from this reference.

Moreover, on the original concept Ivan was putting his foot on a rock but he was more than just posing here so we shifted this for a Stag helmet, crushed under the will of this fierce warrior.

Some elements were particularly difficult to design since they could become the weak points of such figurine and could easily break, for instance the sword and cape. A too heavy cape could also make the character fall down. Thanks to many iterations, we managed to ensure a well-structuring of the whole concept.

After weeks of work and conception a final prototype is realized and would become the basis for ultimate review and tweaking. This prototype was stressed in various ways such as colors quality, shape resistance, no breaking elements, stability etc.

Final Prototype is coming!

Once this review was done and the final prototype approved, we were finally able to launch the production of the figurine in order to be able to meet delivery deadlines of the Collector’s Edition.

The final step was to conceive a box that would be able to pay tribute to this figurine while integrating all different elements of the Collector’s Edition: Artbook, litographies, tarot game and soundtrack. It is now time for us to conclude this journey of Ivan with its final version featured in his own diorama!

2015 marks the 20th anniversary of the Heroes series, and to celebrate these two decades of strategic quests, the Might & Magic Heroes VII team is proud and honoured to invite you back to the lands of Iranese, on the world of Axeoth, for two brand new adventures penned by Heroes IV’s legendary storyteller, Terry B. Ray.

As you already know if you’ve watched our live stream dedicated to maps and mods on September 9th, we were able to unearth two scripts originally written for Heroes IV but never produced back then: Unity and Every Dog Has His Day. Featuring a cast of both familiar characters and new faces, these Lost Tales of Axeoth will finally come to life in Heroes VII in the form of two free campaigns that will be released through patches in the coming months.

The first one, Unity, will be released in late 2015. Players will take control of the Academy faction across 5 maps. The story follows the characters Genevieve Seymour and Pherlon as they embark on a journey to the Broken Isles in search for a greater understanding of magic. Genevieve knows in her heart that in the past magic users have forced magic into an unnatural organization based on the elements. There must be another way… and Genevieve is determined to discover it.

The second campaign, Every Dog Has His Day, will be released in early 2016. Players will take control of the Stronghold faction across 3 maps, and more specifically the barbarian hero, Dogwoggle. At the height of his career, Dogwoggle was one of King Kilgor's barbarian generals, but he soon learned that Kilgor was quite mad and leading the world of Enroth toward destruction. Having managed to flee to Axeoth, Dogwoggle now finds himself hunted by his former allies. As it turns out, Dogwoggle might be slightly responsible for the end of the old world…

Iranese, one of the continents of Axeoth, where the campaigns of Heroes IV took place.
Apart from the brand new maps and storylines, the Lost Tales of Axeoth will feature new content that users will be able to freely integrate into their own maps:

68 new Hall Heroes, most of them based on the original art of Heroes III and IV’s portrait artist, George Almond.

8 new Story Heroes, including main characters Genevieve Seymour, Pherlon and Dogwoggle, as well as their friends and foes.

Several Heroes IV music tracks used under license from Rob King and Paul Anthony Romero, to recreate Axeoth’s enchanted atmosphere.

New (and old) artefacts.

And of course… surprises!

Last but not least, we’ve asked Terry Ray himself to tell us more about these two stories, and about his experiences working on Heroes IV. You can read it here :)
]]>
55f2f5cf6b3bb793015bb827http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/the-lost-tales-of-axeoth
Fri, 11 Sep 2015 17:39:59 +0200General discussionLost Tales - Q&A with Terry Ray
As you know by now, we’ll celebrate the 20th anniversary of Heroes by releasing later this year the first of two Lost Tales of Axeoth for Might & Magic Heroes VII.

Set on the world of Axeoth, these two free bonus campaigns,
Unity and Every Dog Has His Day, were written by Heroes IV’s master bard: Terry B. Ray. We have asked Terry to tell us more about these two lost stories, and his work on Might & Magic in general.

Can you tell us about yourself?

I’ve been a writer slightly longer than I’ve been a gamer. I wrote my first story around age nine and I’ve played video games ever since Pong. I flipped Asteroids in the arcade, but I sucked at more games than I was ever good at. Still had fun though. Been a father less than both but it has influenced my life in much greater ways.

My father was in the Army, so I had the great pleasure of living in Europe during my high school years. I consider that time in Europe some of the most important years in my development. It gave me a global outlook, not one that was centric to my nationality, and an open mind. I wish everyone had the chance to do that.

Today, I have recommitted myself to telling stories. I am, at my core, a writer. You can’t deny something like that. I learned that the hard way. So, who am I? Writer, father, gamer, trickster, humorist, amateur philosopher, and lover of grilled salmon.

How did you become involved with the Might & Magic series?

Honestly, I owe my involvement to my best friend Joseph McGuffin, who was the Art Director, and to David Mullich, who is one of the best bosses I have ever had. David wanted a writer. Back then, there weren’t that many writers applying for jobs in the gaming industry and he wanted one who could really bring life to the characters and campaign. Thankfully, he liked my stuff. I interviewed with five or six people sitting across the table from me throwing questions one after the other. I made them all laugh. I think that’s why I really got the job.

I was also a fan of the series so I kind of knew what I was talking about. I played Heroes II and III and loved them both. I played Might & Magic too. I also ran D&D campaigns since I was fourteen so I knew how to develop a fun game. A lot of varied experience as you can see.

Can you tell us about your work on Heroes of Might & Magic IV?

There was so much fun throughout the project! That’s what I remember most. Of course, there was a lot of tension too, especially during the last six months. That’s probably true for every video game.

For me, the project began with creating the campaign story ideas. Sometimes, people had to wait for me to create characters or aspects of the stories before they could do their job. Thankfully, I’m relatively fast when it comes to writing. Once I was done, I would help the others in whatever way I could. I made maps, edited the stories, worked on the manual, and wrote other content.

All told, I was hired to work on Heroes IV, but also wrote the Heroes III Chronicles series. I wrote for other games produced by 3DO too. It was a really busy time but I remember it fondly.

Heroes IV began with a shocking scene for longtime Heroes fans: the destruction of the beloved world of Enroth and the transportation to a whole new world, Axeoth. How was created the world of Axeoth, the continent of Iranese where Heroes IV took place, and how was it connected to the larger mythos of the Might & Magic games (the cosmic conflict between the Ancients and the Kreegans)?

This was actually a decision that was made before I got there. It is my understanding that the teams (
Might & Magic and Heroes) felt they had written themselves into a corner. Sort of like how Marvel and DC reset their universes every once in a while because no one can keep track of what has been going on. If Marvel can do it, then it’s okay with me.

So, when I walked in the door they already knew they wanted to blow everything up but they didn’t just want to move to another world and start all over. They wanted to keep the characters that people loved. They also wanted to keep the town types and the Kreegans and, I believe, the Ancients. I didn’t have much to do with the Ancients while I was there, but I was pushing for making them a more prominent story line in future products. I had ideas. Wonderfully evil and fun ideas.

Wait, that just made me sound like some kind of Bond villain. Sorry.

Anyway, for a writer it gave me a somewhat clean slate to start with. I got to create the kingdoms, their philosophies, their leaders, and more. I realized it was a shocking event to begin the game. Two guys, two swords, and a big explosion. Usually, that’s the end of the story. But that is what Heroes IV was to me, a tale of exodus and rebuilding. It is the kind of an archetypal tale that is part of every human being. Natural disasters happen all over the planet but the people who are devastated by them don’t have the luxury of running away to another continent. They rebuild, often in the exact spot where they were before. Katrina. The tsunami in Indonesia. Haiti. So many more. That is human endurance. THAT is heroic.

Look at all the Heroes IV stories again. If there is a theme to the game, it is about the human potential to crawl out of the ashes of destruction no matter what.

What was the writing process on Heroes IV?

I am fortunate that I was trusted to create my stories and left mostly on my own, but anything that had text attached to it was run through me. It was my job to give it an overall appeal.

I had a cubicle right next to the break room, which meant if someone brought in free food I was one of the first to get at it. Anyone who has worked for a game company knows just how quickly free food disappears. I think it’s about twice the speed of light. I kept my own coffee maker on my desk because I like my coffee so strong and bitter my ancestors feel it. Other than that, I came in and wrote and created levels for the campaigns and talked to everyone in every department. I feel like everyone accepted me with open arms. A great bunch of people, really, because I also feel I was kind of an outsider when I started there but a friend when I left.

About my process, my bosses gave me just a few rules such as a campaign for every town type. Then I would create the central character for each story, really create who they were inside and out, and then the story would write itself. In the writing world, I would be called a seat-of-the-pants writer. I don’t plot everything out. I let the characters and their choices in given situations write the story. Yes, I know that sounds almost mystical, but that’s what I love about it.

What can you tell us about the two “lost” campaigns, Unity and Every Dog Has His Day? Do you remember why they were not produced back then?

Essentially, they came about when I had a little extra time on my hands and still had stories running through my head. This was also during a time when we were still unclear on where we were going with expansions. The future of
Heroes was uncertain. So, I put some of the stories down just so they would be ready when the time came, and I figured if I needed to revamp them to fit whatever gaming requirements were established later I could still make them fit.

The two I wrote down were the ones that were the clearest in my head. The Unity campaign was one I would hope would appeal to most of the Heroes audience. The game is titled “Heroes”, after all. But I admit, I have a fondness for characters that fit in a gray area, or sometimes downright black. So, that was how Dogwoggle was born. I fell in love with him the instant I came up with the name. His personality and his story came to me quickly, and I saw him as a character that I could write more on in the future.

As for why they were not produced, they simply did not fit into the plan for Heroes IV, and I was no longer involved after that. Maybe no one knew they existed…until now.

Your script notes reveal some secrets about some of Heroes IV’s characters. For instance, the fact that Lysander, Waerjak and Gauldoth were actually brothers, the illegitimate sons of King Nicholas Gryphonheart with a woman named Iduna. What was your “master plan” with the storyline?

Ah, you caught me! Knew I should have burned those notes.

Whenever I had free time, I often played around with the story lines, the characters, and more. That is how my brain works. My commute to work each day was about an hour and a half on average. Another strange thing about my brain is it comes up with some of its best ideas while I am driving or in the shower. If I could put a shower in my car I would be the Einstein of writing.

When I looked on the future of the story line, I wanted to select three characters that would be pivotal in future games. I wanted these characters to share the same blood. Not like they were all from the same mother, but all from the same bloodline. That is where Lysander, Waerjak, and Gauldoth came in. In my defense, this idea was never completely developed. I was toying with other options too, but these three characters were at the top of the list. What may not be in the notes is the fact that Tawni Balfour, the Pirate Queen, was probably going to be the major villain. I wanted a bad guy that was real, and among all the characters I created for Heroes IV she was probably the most ambitious and the one with the most potential for cruelty.

So, what were my plans exactly? I didn’t have the stories figured out completely. My writing process depends on the characters doing most of the work. I can say that Gauldoth would not have been the bad guy, and Lysander would not have been all good. I know the fantasy genre loves its black and white characters, but I feel we have so much more fun when we’re surrounded by the gray. That’s one of the reasons I think the Gauldoth campaign is so popular. In my eyes, he is a hero.

The expansion packs for Heroes IV, the Gathering Storm and Winds of War, were very different in tone from the base game and featured new lands and new characters, with no connection to the stories of Emilia, Gauldoth and co. Were you involved in their conception and writing?

No, I wasn’t involved in those titles. That was after me. When
Heroes IV shipped, most of the company was let go. That’s when I left the industry. I tried other things for a while and ultimately ended up teaching high school English. I enjoy teaching, but it’s not writing.

I have mixed feelings about that decision actually. I think I would have enjoyed being involved in writing for video games all these years and maybe would be involved in some of the really great story-driven games of today. But that long departure from writing also brought me back to writing for my own audience. I can’t really complain.

The Might & Magic IX team was crafting their own corner of Axeoth, Chedian, while you were working on Heroes IV. How was the collaboration between the two teams?

The collaboration between the two teams was awesome actually, especially when it came to programming and art. On my side, however, there wasn’t a huge amount of talk about the product. Oh, we played each other in ping pong or LAN games every day, talked all the time, and got along great. But at that time the story lines for each product were being kept separate.

I don’t find fault or anything with how things were done. At the time, we considered them two games with two different directions. Nothing wrong with that. In hindsight, yeah, maybe it would have been nice to blend them into a single story line that made people want to play both.

What is your best memory of working on Might & Magic, and what are your favourite characters?

Oh, when I think of that time, I think of the camaraderie we had. We crossed over the walls of artists, programmers, and designers and just became friends. We had this ping pong table in one room where we had serious cutthroat games during our breaks. Then there were the LAN games during lunch. Unreal Tournament was the most fun. People in cubicles and offices screaming things like, “Headshot!” or “M-m-m-multikill!” And then there was the time when the entire office outlawed my use of the goop gun because I was just THAT GOOD.

As for characters, I created them all so I like them all. Well, I didn’t create the ones we resurrected from previous games but I did reimagine them. I like every character for different reasons, but I’m not going to chicken out and say that.

Number three was Solmyr. Actually, I wish I had done more with him. He surprised me sometimes. Tarnum from the Heroes Chronicles series is a close second. He is my Crag Hack, my very first D&D character that I brought to life in many tales.

But hands down and far ahead in this race for my love like a cheetah running against sloths is Gauldoth Half-Dead. I set out to make Gauldoth the opposite of every necromancer from every fantasy story and he became so much more during the writing process. That’s my favorite thing about being a writer – when characters gain a life of their own. Gauldoth certainly did.

He’s still very real to me, and to this day I do annual searches about him just to see what people have been saying. Despite his horrible life, he’s a philosopher and probably wiser than anyone around him. He is not ruled by a quest for power like most necromancers, but he sees the purpose and usefulness of power. He is neither good nor evil. He sees chaos and order, creation and destruction all as one thing dependent on each other. I wanted him to be a metaphor for all Mankind. Because of that, I think he is the one and only hope for peace in the troubled realms of the Might & Magic universe.

For years, I have been telling my friends I would love to write a Gauldoth book, or maybe a series of books. When I say things like that, I feel like an ancient god who molded a figure out of clay, breathed life into it, and released him upon the world. Gauldoth will forever be my child. May he live and unlive forever.

Did you try the latest Might & Magic and Heroes games? What did you think?

Sadly, I haven’t played the
Might & Magic series since but I have played Heroes. Someday, I’ll probably pick up the Might & Magic games I’ve missed. There simply isn’t enough time in the day or the year for me to do all the things I want or have to do, and for the last couple years writing has taken all my free time after work. I can’t seem to stay away from strategy games though. Even when I should be working on other things, I tend to gravitate toward them. I played both Heroes V & VI. I enjoyed VI more because of the character drama. A game with an epic fantasy quality like Heroes should, I believe, always have intense stories. Yes, at its core it is a strategy game but the genre is fantasy. We lovers of fantasy love a good, long, dramatic tale. That is really what keeps us coming back.

Are you happy the two unused campaigns are finally getting made for Heroes VII?

At first, I was stunned. Ever seen one of those scenes where people are opening up a time capsule? It was buried twenty or fifty or a hundred years ago and no one really knows what is inside. Then they open it and out pops those giant floppy discs from the 1980’s and you laugh at the memory. That, exactly, was my initial response. Frankly, I had forgotten about those campaigns. But they are stories that I wrote, and I write my stories for other people to experience and hopefully enjoy. So, yes, I love that they are going to finally come to life, but most importantly Dogwoggle is finally going to get his day. I thank you for the opportunity.

What are your current projects?

Currently, I am working on a career as a novelist. The new explosion of independent (or digital) publishing has made it easier for a writer to seize control of his own career. Not that I have anything against traditional publishing, but making a living in that venue alone is next to impossible. That is my dream though – to live entirely by creating stories.

Anyway, Indie publishing puts much of the control in the hands of the writer, which I love. This puts the writer closer to the reader. Plus, the reader has access to a greater variety of fiction than ever before. I now write under the name
T.B. Ray. Like always, even dating back to Heroes, my fiction is strongly character oriented, plus I love action. I currently have a near-future scifi mystery series out with the first book, Hour 13, already on Kindle and Kobo. It should be out in other forms soon. I also have an apocalyptic series out there called Zycho. Future projects will venture into other genres, especially one of my favorites – fantasy. Getting my stories to my audience is my primary goal.

Anyone who is interested in looking me up can find information at my website tbraybooks.com.

Do you have any message for the Might & Magic fans?

I am going to be greedy and give you two.

First, whenever I read the message boards I inevitably come across the arguments about which game in the series is best. These are normally amusing, sometimes upsetting. I understand the impulse. I’ve been a fan of the Denver Broncos football team since early childhood. Some years I remember with pure joy, and others pure pain. But I still love the Broncos.

As for
Heroes and Might & Magic, I try to look at them as a whole. Yes, maybe one version is not as appealing to you as another, but that doesn’t mean it is a vile tumor that must be excised from all memory. Love and support the series as a whole so it will stay alive forever (like I hope Gauldoth will), but if someone disagrees with you don’t freak out. Remember, they love the same thing you do.

Second, I know the word “fan” has its origins in “fanatic” and maybe some of you consider yourselves true believers. That’s okay. But I see the fans as those who have given life (or breath) to this very long series of games. There are few out there who can even come close to the number of games that have been set in the
Might & Magic universe. That is an achievement gained because of you, the Fans. Congrats!

The fact that I am answering these questions at this point in my life is also a testament to your love. That humbles me, and might even bring a little salty sting of moisture to the corners of my eyes when I think about it too much.

Thank you all. You are wonderful.

Thank you very much :)
(Special thanks to David Mullich and George Almond.)

// Presentation of the Lost Tales available here
]]>
55f2f4dd6b3bb7037d5bb829http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/lost-tales-q-a-with-terry-ray
Fri, 11 Sep 2015 17:35:57 +0200General discussionInterview with Jon Van Caneghem
In case you missed it during our
livestream, discover today one of our Heroes 20th Anniversary celebration’s gift: an interview with the creator of the M&M franchise Jon Van Caneghem.

On behalf of the whole MMH7 team we would like to thank JVC again for this great opportunity (and for his whole creation of course)!
As you can guess, it was quite a childhood dream for Marzhin ;)

// As you may have notice, we had important server issues in the last few days, we are working on the problem and are doing our best to fix this in the best delays! Sorry for the inconvenience Councillors.
]]>
55f2f2c06b3bb7017d5bb827http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/interview-with-jon-van-caneghem
Fri, 11 Sep 2015 17:26:56 +0200General discussionThe Griffin Dynasty, Part 2
Greetings, shadow councillors.

The time has come to discuss the fates of Cate and Slava’s children, as well as several other members of the great Griffin dynasty.

Please note that I won’t talk of Anastasya today, as her life has already been discussed at great length in this very Council.

Sandor

Born of Slava and his mistress, Elisabeth, Sandor grew up as a perpetual shadow hanging over the ducal court. While he inherited his father's rough strength and his mother's intensity, Sandor's circumstances of birth prevented him from hoping for any sort of respectable position or role in the Duchy.

Sandor found an outlet for his frustration and anger alongside the Orc Kraal, Slava’s master-of-arms. Never considering Sandor anything less than his son, Slava raised him as a shadow right hand, able to do the things that Anton could not do politically or for reasons of ethics.

For his part, Sandor had tired of needling Anton, who was always serious, and teasing Anastasya and Kiril, who were too young to be any fun, so he ended up befriending Irina and spending most of his time with her. The two of them became inseparable, crossing swords, knives and axes with Kraal.

When Irina was married to Gerhart, the Duke of the neighbouring Wolf duchy, Sandor had hard words with his father over that and decided that the Griffin duchy was too small to fit himself, his father, and the rest of his siblings.

Sandor enlisted Kraal’s help to rescue Irina from Gerhart’s clutches, an incident that made him an outlaw in the Holy Empire. He rebuilt his life among the Orcs of the Pao Islands, eventually rising to the position of warchief and earning from the Orcs the nickname Kunyakti, “small Kunyak”, which is high praise indeed.

Deciding he was never made to be a Griffin, Sandor chose a new name for himself: Raven, and it is as Sandor the Raven that he was known in his last years. His descendants have all been great warriors in their own right, often fighting as mercenaries and Windswords in the Free Cities.

Anton

Anton was the first legitimate child of Duke Slava and Duchess Cate of Griffin. His early childhood was ideal: loving parents, healthy siblings and an earnest education in swordplay, politics and the dominant religion of the Holy Empire, the Church of Light. There was one sour note, though: Anton was plagued by mysterious voices as a child, a mystical affliction he had inherited from his mother, Cate… or rather Deirdre. His father hired a special councillor to help him block the voices out of his mind. I was successful in this endeavour… to an extent.

Cate left the family one day and was never heard from again, with her children still too young to understand. Soon thereafter, Slava had to give the hand of his daughter Irina over to Wolf. Anton grew bitter, and though he continued to learn the skills necessary to assume his future function as heir to the Duke, he began to question his father’s priorities, but he never had the time to confront his father man to man. On Anton’s 21st birthday, Slava was assassinated by his younger daughter, Anton’s little sister Anastasya. Suddenly the Voices that Anton had nearly forgotten returned to him, blaming the Faceless. Anton, as new Duke, went on a witch-hunt to rout out the Faceless from his lands, declaring that the only religion acceptable in the Griffin Duchy was faith in Elrath, the Dragon of Light.

This proclamation certainly pleased Emperor Liam and his Angel councillors but caused Anton to lose the support of many of his vassals. Several counts and barons decided to take up arms against their lord to defend their right to worship Ylath as well as Elrath, and soon the whole Duchy was in a state of civil war. Hoping to put an end to this madness, I revealed myself as a Faceless to Anton, an act I do not regret as I believe it eventually helped him realize the error of the path he was treading upon… although it did earn me a rather unpleasant stay in the Inquisition’s dungeons.

The wars of the Second Eclipse finished breaking Anton’s fanaticism as he pieced together how the Angels, led by Uriel, had been deceiving his family and himself for decades with the goal of engineering a new Elder War. Anton took part to the battles against Ahribban, the Demon Prince of Hatred, and saved the life of princess Gwendolyn – although he was too late to save her uncle, the Emperor Liam. As the extent of Uriel’s Deception was fully revealed, Anton became a vocal advocate of the separation between church and state. These reforms would later be called the Charter of the Griffin.

After the war, Anton became Gwendolyn’s consort. They had three children: their first son, Morvan, became the next Emperor. Their second son, Vyacheslav, inherited the Griffin Duchy. Their last child, a daughter named Sorsha, enlisted in the military and became known as a strong defender of justice and honesty.

Irina

Though not particularly unhappy as a child, Irina understood from an early age that her value was in her beauty and in whom she might marry. Disgruntled at her lack of opportunity and disinterested in sewing, music, poetry, and dance, she fell in with her rough-and-tumble half-brother, Sandor. Sandor was the first who convinced her to study swordplay on the sly; they trained together with Kraal when nobody was looking.

Despite her feisty nature, Irina would have been ready to respect her father’s wishes and put up with her married life had she not been betrothed to Gerhart, the Duke of Wolf. She found him odious and repulsive, and these feelings were intensified by his actions on their wedding night. A rough man overwhelmed by lust, Gerhart forced himself upon Irina who in turn wounded – and scarred – him severely. Rather than hatred, Gerhart's desire turned to a need to dominate and control his fiery wife. Locked in a dungeon, Irina would have died there out of pride had Sandor not come to her rescue.

Sandor delivered Irina to a Naga temple, hoping Irina would find safety and solace among the Priestesses of Shalassa. But Irina was done letting others make choices for herself. She lent her services to a local Daimyo, Lord Hiroshi, who wanted to take control of the nearby trading post of Strandholm. It is during this time that Irina discovered she was pregnant, and from there an audacious plan for revenge hatched in her mind: her son would become the next Duke of Wolf, but Gerhart would not live to see it.

Hiroshi made Irina one of his vassals, and trained her in the ways of the Nagas. He trained her so well that before long she had challenged him and taken his place. Known as Daimyo Jubo among the Naga, Irina used the Second Eclipse as an excuse to lead her forces to the Wolf Duchy. She crushed the Demons’ forces in the Duchy by destroying the abomination known as the Breeder Queen, then proceeded to eliminate Gerhart himself.

Now the Duchess of Wolf, Irina removed – sometimes with great prejudice – all those who had been loyal to Gerhart from positions of power. Soon after the Second Eclipse, her son Alexander was born, cementing her claim to the Wolf’s throne. For the rest of her life, Irina ruled the Wolves with an iron fist and a Griffin’s heart.

Kiril

Anastasya’s twin brother, Kiril is one of the most mysterious members of the Griffin Dynasty. After their mother’s departure when they were only 8 years old, the twins were assigned Angel tutors by Emperor Liam himself for their religious and military education. Anastasya became the student of the Angel Uriel, while Kiril was given over to the Angel Sarah. Weeks of study turned to years, and the brother and sister grew apart more due to circumstance than any desire on either’s part.

Kiril came to adore the beautiful, legendary angel, Sarah. In spite of Kiril’s questioning, and all-too-Griffin, nature, Sarah – masterful in swordplay and patient in religion – succeeds in forging within his rebel soul a devout love and faith for the Dragon of Light, Elrath. By all accounts Sarah appreciated Kiril’s dry sense of humour and his tremendous temerity, and often encouraged him, saying that he was destined for great things.

When Anastasya was controlled magically and used to assassinate their father, Slava, Kiril was broken with rage. Believing the Faceless to have come back and attacked the house of Griffin, Kiril accepted a perilous mission proposed by Uriel and Sarah. Sarah sought to forge a weapon of Chaos in order to destroy the Invisible Library, the source of the Faceless’ power. Kiril saw it as his duty to avenge his father and clear his sister’s name, while protecting Sarah on her quest, especially as said quest would take them to the bowels of Sheogh itself.

And that is when Kiril disappears from history and enters the realms of legend. There are some who claim to have met him at various points through the centuries, sometimes with a fiery Angel at his side, sometimes accompanied by a seductive succubus. Some stories claim he became a Demon himself, or that his soul was fused with one. One thing I can say for sure: he did succeed at removing the Invisible Library from Ashan. But rather than destroying it, he somehow managed to transport it to Sheogh, out of reach of both Angels and Faceless. What happened to him after that, or what he became, are not things I can confirm.

Vassily

Ivan’s father, Duke Vassily was a just but stern ruler. It is said of him that he never unsheathed his sword without good reason, and under his guidance the Griffin Duchy knew many years of quiet and peace. In his private life, too, Vassily was blessed, for he was able to marry his childhood love (and distant cousin) Ilona, third daughter of Duke Ekhard of Wolf. Ilona soon gave birth to two strong sons, Fedor and Ivan, who filled Vassily’s heart with pride and joy.

But the Blind Brothers’ predictions, foreseeing a new Bloodmoon Eclipse in the next three decades, cast on the children a rather ominous shadow. Not wanting to increase their son’s considerable burden, Vassily and Ilona were probably too lenient and permissive when raising Fedor who as a result never quite showed his father’s morality and strength of character. Ivan, sent to the seminaries of Flammschrein at a young age, fared considerably better, all things considered.

Fedor managed to hide his darker side to his parents, but to those who thrive in the shadows his frequentation of the seedier districts of Eastalon was well known. A taste for gambling and a competitive strike proved his undoing, as he found himself indebted to the criminal organization known as the Blackfang. Rather than repay the fortune he owed them, Fedor raided the Blackfang’s hideouts across the Duchy and had the organization’s leaders publicly executed, making it look like justice was guiding his arm.

If Fedor had been smarter, he would have known that the Blackfang is not so easily destroyed. The thieves and cutthroats simply went into hiding, waiting for the storm to pass.

A couple of years of safety dulled Fedor’s vigilance, until the organization finally struck back. As Vassily and Fedor were hunting a Wyvern said to terrorize the eastern borders of the Duchy, they were separated from the rest of the party and ambushed by the Blackfang’s assassins. Both father and son were slain. As we all know this tragic turn of events led to Ivan inheriting the Duchy.

Ivan always suspected Vassily and Fedor’s deaths were not a simple hunting accident, despite the Blackfang’s best efforts to make them look that way. At the time, I was serving the Duchy as a simple spy and informant, but Ivan immediately guessed there was more to me than met the eye. He enlisted my help to discover the truth, which I did. I won’t detail what he did to the assassins – as well as a couple of corrupted nobles – when we tracked them down, but I will say as much: all debts with the Blackfang were settled, there and then.

You might wonder why Ivan didn’t go on a vengful rampage against the Blackfang as a whole, but even in his young age he understood that a thieves’ guild has its use… especially with a skillful Spy Master like myself to keep them on a leash.

First of all we would like to thank you again for your participation in this second MMH7 closed beta session. This time again, you showed us true expertise and passion towards the Might & Magic franchise and our team will give its best until the end of the month to provide the best Heroes experience.

We received during this Closed Beta 2 a great amount of feedback and we will continue to listen to your inputs to improve the game for release and during post-launch. Among those feedbacks, we identified some key topics we would like to take the time to discuss today.

AI

As you may have noticed if you played both Closed Betas, AI have been improved since CB1. But we still have a great amount of work on this very topic. Huge progresses have been made in terms of AI decision making process and we will continue improving it even better in the upcoming weeks. However, the main issue during this CB2 was AI speed, especially in the 8 player’s map where some AI turns could last for up to 6minutes. We are glad to announce we have already reduced this time to 40s (total AI turn) for instance, and we are still working to optimize even further– in case you missed it, Limbic Twitch showcased this improvement http://www.twitch.tv/limbic_entertainment/v/13890748. We will continue to improve the AI until the very end of the development and will tweak it even during post launch following your feedback.

Debugging

This time again you reported a great number of feedback and bugs during this closed Beta. Even if at first sight the numbers can appear quite important, most of them are minor issues that can be easily solved now that the game is content & features complete. Hundreds of bugs are solved every day and the team is now dedicated to this only task to make sure the game is in great shape at the release. We learned our lessons from past Heroes release and will commit ourselves to provide a great support well after the release.

Balancing

Now that you had the opportunity to try more factions and content of the game, your feedback has been of great help for us to refine the balancing of the game. Our game designers are currently working on it for the upcoming weeks, but it is also important to keep in mind that we will continue to monitor your inputs after the release to improve it further.

Desync

During this Closed Beta, some of you experienced various desync issues while playing in online multiplayer modes. This issue has been identified as one of our top priorities for the studio and we already managed to fix several of them at the time being. We will continue to make tests and work on those issues until the release to make sure you can play the game online in the best conditions.

Multiplayer combat-view

Closed Beta 2 allowed you to see your opponent combats while playing in multiplayer modes. Your feedback on this particular feature have been loud and clear and it will be available in the game for the release ONLY as an option.

Save issues

Some users reported save issues during CB2 and our team are currently investigating those as part of our top priorities as well

Crashes

Game stability has been improved and we will continue to hunt down all memory leaks and instabilities until release and after.
Thank you again for your great passion Councillors, we are looking forward showing you our progress in the upcoming weeks!

As your host, Julien Pirou will offer you an introduction to MMH7 map editor but also share some exclusive insights and great surprises at the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of Heroes!

Be sure not to miss this event on http://www.twitch.tv/ubisoft/!
]]>
55e96d5cca0177b007f18389http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/map-editor-livestream-and-20th-anniversary-celebration
Fri, 04 Sep 2015 12:07:24 +0200General discussionClosed Beta extended until September 7th
Today, we are thrilled to announce that Heroes 7’s Closed Beta 2 will be extended until Monday September 7thth at 12PM (CEST)!

You still have time to join the fight by registering to participate here.

We would like to thank you for all your feedback and commitment during this beta which will help the team identify areas of improvement before release on September 29th!

For more information about bug reporting and known issues please refer to the following article and dedicated forums.

The M&M Team.
]]>
55e6ace86b3bb74256e00805http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/closed-beta-extended-until-september-7th
Wed, 02 Sep 2015 10:01:44 +0200General discussionCB2 - A word from the team
Since Closed Beta 1, our team has been hard at work to finish the game content while integrating your feedback and bug reports from the Closed Beta 1. Thanks again for those who took the plunge and endured the extra delay and the occasional hiccups. The game is now content & feature complete for a month now, and these days we are purely focusing on improving the experience, bug fixing like there is no tomorrow, and polishing the title even more. This is the very last run before the finish line and we throw all our forces into the battle to meet our deadline and a high quality bar. And this is not the end, as we will of course continue to support the game well after its release with tweaks, balancing and a few surprises as well. More on that later on.

This second Closed Beta is the occasion for us to do a last live test before closing curtains and doors to finalize the project. You will be able to experience two new factions, voted by you, the community, to feature in this Second Beta phase, as well as two new beautiful skirmish maps, in additional to the original content of Closed Beta 1. We also included some of your feedbacks from the first beta. For instance:

We have iterated on the spell acquisition: we have introduced a new Arcane Knowledge system and added new adventure buildings granting spells

We have completely redesigned and rebalanced the Meta Magic skill

Battlesites have been added (not all of them, we keep a couple for release just for you)

Countless changes to the game interface, both big and small. Signs & feedbacks have been greatly improved.

AI overhaul (still a big topic at Limbic)

Sim turns!

Multiple languages support

Adventure Map camera visibility has been improved, atmospheric fog has been adjusted in terms of density, whilst the depth of field has been entirely removed.

Of course, you will have to wait the full game release on September 29th to explore the campaigns and the other game modes.

We are eager to read your feedback and comments on the Shadow Council and the Ubisoft forums. Your take on balancing and user experience is priceless and will help us improve the game further on.

We would like also to tackle two topics you might encounter today. Remember this is beta, not the final game, and hence we still have a lot of things to improve. But right now, here are the most pressing at the moment:

Multiplayer: We have a troubling issue on the Multiplayer side, we have some issues to reproduce entirely: basically, certain combinations of army may lead to a hang during combat. The game is still responsive, but the game logic breaks down. You will be able to exit gently by returning to the main menu. On this one, we would really appreciate if you could share the occurrences on which you encounter this issue. That will really help pinpoint what is going on. Of course, this won’t happen each time you try multiplayer, but you may encounter it a couple of times.

AI: AI in Heroes has been a source of perpetual headache since the series beginning, and this one is no exception. We have made good progress on that front, and we will continue to do until the game release and beyond. But keep in mind we have still a lot of optimization to throw in and the AI turns can be quite long when you play a large map with a lot of AI playing against you. Nothing to report especially on that part, but we prefer to be open on that topic and let you know we are still working on it.

Again thanks for your time and dedication. Your feedback, your comments and your passion during this new Beta will really help us to cross the finish line in the best shape possible.

The beta is now here and we would like to thank you again for your participation to this new session! This time again we are looking forward receiving your feedback and the team will continue to work in order to improve your experience. In case you missed it, please check out the “Word from the team” article.

This article will give you the main directions for the Beta and will be updated on a regular basis to answer your questions and share known issues.

Please don’t forget to use official CB2 forums for more enquiries about the beta and to use following buttons to guide you :)

b) Can't find my game

If you pre-ordered the game from Steam, the beta should available as a second entry in your game library.
Activate a game on Steam

For all other retailers, you will need to download Uplay Launcher and be sure to login with the Uplay account you used to buy the game or redeem the code.
Activate a game on Uplay.

If you registered to the waiting list you also need to use Uplay Launcher with your linked account.

It may happen that if the game is activated but is not available on your Uplay library you will have to reinstall Uplay launcher. If you have difficulties finding the game in your library please contact our
customer support.

c) I have a question/issue about my key

If you have any concerns regarding your pre-order key and previous points were not able to help you, we recommend you to directly contact our
Customer Support and explain them your situation.

2. Bug report

a) Where can I find known issue list?

We are tracking all the bugs we are receiving and will update on a regular basis this Known Issues list. Of course this one do not include all reported bugs at the moment but are the main ones we were able to identify. Please check this thread first, you might find precious information. If you are experiencing issues not included here, please refer to following point (b).

b) How to report bugs and issues?

(Don’t forget to check Known Issues thread first) If you want to share your feedback about the game or bugs, we recommend you to check this
forum thread first for more details about our bug acknowledgment process. This will help us to ensure that testers have all the necessary information to reproduce your issues and provide a potential workaround and fixes.

c) I need help with the beta (technical, how to etc.)

If you are experiencing issues with the beta we recommend you to join dedicated forum so our expert will be able to help you. Do not hesitate in the meantime to open a ticket on our
Customer Support.

d) I'm unable to post on Beta forums or use Beta feedback form on the website

Join the fight and participate to the last beta phase of the title before its release on September 29th!

During this beta you will experience:

4 playable Factions:

Haven

Academy

The Knights and Priests of the Holy Empire worship Elrath, the Dragon God of Light, who grants them magical powers based on his elemental dominion. Their objective is to lead a life worthy of Elrath's ideals of Truth and Purity, to shape the world in his image, and to spread his sacred Light...

Wizards are proud seekers of knowledge, and subjugators of the natural order. They prize knowledge and research above all, and their great weakness is their desire to seek for these things in places - and in ways - that might be best left unexplored. Intellectually competitive, sybaritic, and Machiavellian, others often find them arrogant and supercilious.

Sylvan

Dungeon

The Elves are graceful and patient souls who live in close harmony with the lands and forests. They are in tune with Sylanna, the Dragon of Earth. Her deliberate nature and ancient wisdom are reflected in their approach to life and worship. They view the forests and living things as their responsibilities, and do not shrink from punishing those who defile them.

The Dark Elves are underground-dwelling renegades from the Elf forests who have made a pact with the mysterious Faceless. Deadly schemers in the darkness, their whole nation is imprinted by Malassa’s mark. Forced to hear the constant whispers of the world, the Dark Elves know that the border between sanity and madness is very thin… thin like a dagger’s blade.

4 Different maps:

Bad Neighbours (2 players)

Fire and Blood (3 players)

Enough is enough! This time, your neighbour has gone too far, and you're going to teach him a lesson. Of course, he claims you are the one who is always provoking him and looking for a fight, but you know who is right and who is wrong. You have the means and the cause -- now you only need to find a way to reach his lands...

The Sahaar desert is one of the most inhospitable regions of Ashan: scorching hot during the days, freezing cold during the nights, with little food and even less water. Yet ancient tales speak of lost mines, relics of forgotten heroes, and Dragon citadels buried under the sand. There are fortunes to be made across the blistering sands -- if one is strong enough to survive their countless trials, of course.

Irresponsible War (8 players)

The Dried Lands (4 players)

Having found balance and purpose, this land used to be a haven of peace. Then new cities were built, old ones were turned to dust, and the fragile harmony was destroyed forever. Having lost all common sense, eight lords now fight for total domination above and underground.

Made possible by Titan workers, the great dam of Al-Sadd is one of the great achievements of the Wizards of House Materia. Its construction -- and the subsequent drying of the southern valleys -- revealed mysterious ruins hidden below the sands of the Sahaar. Unfortunately, their rumoured treasures have attracted all kinds of raiders, conquerors and warmongers seeking to control the Dried Lands by force of arms.

Please keep in mind that the game is still in development and this Beta will be of great use for our team to identify areas of improvements thanks to your feedback. For more information about bug reporting and known issues please refer to the following
article and dedicated forums.

]]>
55dd90be6b3bb7f95d06c205http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/closed-beta-2-now-available
Wed, 26 Aug 2015 12:11:10 +0200General discussionMMH7 Closed beta is coming!
MMH7 Beta 2 is fast approaching and we are preparing to provide you with the best possible experience on Wednesday!

Closed Beta 2 will be available from 26th August until 2nd September and you still can register to the waiting list to join the adventure!
https://mmh7.ubi.com/en/beta

Discover today the new trailer of this closed beta and stay tuned for more information coming soon.

I have recently realized that, while our friend the Spy Master has revealed his… ahem… “identity” a while ago, many among you might want to know a thing or two about his story. Being a Faceless, he’ll never reveal his secrets by himself, but I’ve known him for a while now and I’ve learnt a few of them. So let me tell you some things about Jorgen, Duke Ivan’s Spy Master.
Ask anyone what they know about Jorgen, and they’ll probably describe him thus: a loyal servant of the Griffin household. A man who is versed in the lore of many disciplines.

Depending on who you ask, they might cite medicine, mysticism, politics, history, cartography… or some other field of expertise. Some may be bold enough to conjecture under whose tutelage he received such as broad education, although they might remember that it is a well-known fact that Jorgen travelled widely in the past, and probably enjoyed the company of some of the finest minds of Ashan during his wanderlust…

The “Jorgen” persona, however, is just an elaborate mask he crafted a long time ago, during the reign of Duke Slava of Griffin. Jorgen’s real history and true name are shrouded in darkness – as you know, he is not even Human, but one of the mysterious Faceless, Malassa’s first children. As he would say: “he is many, and Jorgen is one of them”. Whatever that means.

Discovered and nearly killed by the Inquisition during the Second Eclipse, Jorgen then disappeared from the surface world, reputedly to help the establishment of the Dark Elf kingdom of Ygg-Chall. Not much is known of his activities during that time, but I believe he maintained a watchful eye on the Griffin dynasty, helping them from the shadows without their knowing. Why he is so attached to the Griffin family remains a mystery. I suspect it may be at least partly connected to the fact that the Falcon dynasty was a bit too… “Elrathian” for Jorgen’s tastes, with its tendency to go on bloody crusades against all servants of Malassa every now and then. The Griffin line, on the other hand, is more open-minded. But while that explains his agenda, that doesn’t explain his enduring loyalty.

Jorgen possess immense knowledge and a timeless wisdom, but like all Faceless, he has an unnerving tendency to speak in riddles and metaphors. He’s likely to answer a question with another question, never giving straight answers. As a result, any discussion involving Kente and Jorgen is an endless source of entertainment.

The reasons of Jorgen’s open return to the court of a Griffin Duke are known to only a few. That particular story is not for me to tell. What I can say is that with the Demon-worshipping Soulscar clan taking control of the subterranean realm of Ygg-Chall, Jorgen and the remaining Faceless were forced to scatter and hide. For Jorgen, the best hiding place was in plain sight – at Duke Vassily’s side.

When Vassily and his eldest son Fedor were killed in a suspicious “hunting accident”, Jorgen proposed his services to the surviving son, Ivan, and helped him solve the mystery of their deaths. From that point on, he became Ivan’s Spy Master, and also his friend. I believe Ivan is one of the few people in the Empire fully aware of Jorgen’s true nature, but I wouldn’t be surprised if others have their suspicions…

So Kaspar has told you about me.

Do not worry, I’m not angry. What is done is done. I actually think it’s better that way. After all, how the old saying goes? Ah yes -- “The Faceless know no truth”. The day I tell you my story, you would be wise not to believe any word I say.

Although you shall be even wiser to also remember that the same proverb also states that “Angels cannot lie”…

It is now time to discover the Townscreen of the Dungeon Faction in details!
"The Dark Elves are underground-dwelling renegades from the Elf forests who have made a pact with the mysterious Faceless. Deadly schemers in the darkness, their whole nation is imprinted by Malassa’s mark. Forced to hear the constant whispers of the world, the Dark Elves know that the border between sanity and madness is very thin… thin like a dagger’s blade."

This article only focus on main buildings of the townscreen but the game will offer more variety and options (growth building etc.)

Click for full size

Dwellings:

Core Creatures

Chthonian Abyss: Allows to recruit Chthonian

Halls of the Black Heart: Allows to recruit Shade

Shadow Ring: Allows to recruit Tracker

Elite Creatures

Frozen Statuary: Allows to recruit Medusa Sorceress

Labyrinth: Allows to recruit Minotaur Guard

Soulless Forge: Allows to recruit Soulless

Champion Creatures

Dragon Pinnacle: Allows to recruit Black Dragon

Rattling Temple: Allows to recruit Dark Hydra

Warfare Units

Chamber of Whispers: Allows to recruit support warfare unit.

Dark Watch: Provides the town with 3 towers in siege combats.

Pillar of Eyes: Allows to recruit attack warfare unit.

Buildings:

Capitol: Raises the daily income to 4000 gold / day. There can be only one Capitol per player and per map.

Mark of Malassa: Provides 5000 gold / day and additional great bonuses.

Hall Of Heroes: Allows to recruit Heroes.

Magic Guild Level 4: Allows Heroes to learn spells (4 levels).

Town Portal: Allows Heroes to be teleported to this town (only if it is the closet town and with dedicated spell).

Thieves Guild: Provides the town screen window to spy enemies and give overview of the game status.

Spies Guild: You can send your spies on a “plunder” mission: Plunder a random resrouce site of a target player

Hall of Intrigue: You can send your spies on a “sabotage” mission: Sabotage a random town dwelling of a target player to have its weekly production halved.

Soulvenom Crucible: At start of combats with a hero (controlled by the town owning player) inside the town's area of control all enemy creatures get a debuff "Poisoned".

Overlook Tower: Increases the visiting hero's initiative by 10 for the next 3 battles.

Marketplace: Provides the town screen window to trade resources.

Shadowsteel Refinery: Produces 1 Shadowsteel per day.

Chthonian Deposit: Produce 2 Ore per day.

Black Market: Allows you to buy and sell artifacts.

]]>
55bf6b2b6b3bb71271c69f67http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/dungeon-townscreen
Mon, 03 Aug 2015 15:22:51 +0200General discussionDungeon’s Hall of Heroes
Today, we wanted to share with you the portraits, bios and specializations of some of the Dungeon Heroes you’ll be able to hire in the Hall of Heroes in skirmish or multiplayer maps. While they are not the main characters of the campaigns, some of these characters might play a role in the stories. Longtime Heroes fans might also recognize some familiar faces :)

Keep in mind all of this is still work in progress, especially the class attributions and specializations.

ASHBETH

Race: Dark Elf

Affinity: Might

Class: Trickster

Specialization: Explorer (Hero starts with the Explorer skill at rank 1 and the Logistics ability for free)

Biography:The wife of an up-and-coming Elven noble, silver-haired Ashbeth never found her place at King Arniel's court. Her favourite topic of gossip was Tuidhana, the rebellious Queen of Tarlad, then a scandalous figure in Elven society. This fascination slowly grew into an obsession. Already drifting away from her family, Ashbeth decided to betray her own people and stood with the Dark Elves after the Day of the Tears of Fire, eventually joining them in their subterranean exile.

DARKSTORM

Race: Minotaur

Affinity: Magic

Class: Dark Prophet

Specialization: Minotaur General (Increases the production of Minotaurs and Minotaur Guards by 1 in the area of control.)

Biography:Back when he was a slave in Al-Rubit, Darkstorm made sure nobody would be aware of his arcane abilities. Under a mask of obedience, he used every opportunity to observe his Wizard masters, slowly learning their craft. When he had learned enough, he murdered them with the very Magic they believed was their prerogative. His reputation preceding him like the dark clouds before a thunderstorm, Darkstorm recently traveled to Ygg-Chall to lead his Minotaur brethren.

YESHTAR

Race: Dark Elf

Affinity: Might

Class: Darkblade

Specialization: Gladiator (the hero starts with +2 Might)

Biography:A master assassin, Yeshtar, also known as the Black Whisper, only accepts one form of payment: dream shards. Sad dreams, joyful ones, she only accepts to kill if the client is ready to share the purest and the strongest sentiments, which she then crystallizes for her collection. She is loyal to her current employer, but will never tell you his name. As for her ultimate purpose, not even the clan could pierce her secret. Some say she is just biding time until the moment comes when she can keep her promise to the dead Queen Tuidhana.

SINITAR

Biography:Sinitar's boundless ambition and utter lack of scruples make him a deadly adversary. But what makes him truly special among the sorcerers of Ygg-Chall is his ability to regenerate his spiritual energy, allowing him to keep on casting spells when his enemies have long become exhausted. Sinitar fears no one... except maybe his hated rival, Eruina. Last time they crossed paths, Sinitar only survived by making terrible bargains with the Black Dragons -- bargains than took a heavy toll on both his body and mind.

Servants of Malassa, Magic Heroes of the Dungeon faction are seekers of forbidden lore and masters of Dark Magic. They totally accept the murmurs of the Darkness and are capable of finding the information that they want. Coils of darkness reach out to smite their enemies, torches extinguish themselves, and blindness descends on their enemy eyes.

Dark Prophet

Dark prophets are great generals, and Dark Elves trust their powers to lead them to victory. Eager to travel and conquer more territory under and above ground, they master the arts of Dark and Earth Magic to deceive and hurt their enemies.

Main skills: Shroud of Malassa, Offense, Dark Magic

Sorcerer

Favoured of Malassa, Sorcerers are the quintessential Dark Elf scholars. Educated, studious, their thirst for knowledge is not easily quenched, and they can go to great lengths to unravel the mysteries of Ashan's darkest shadows.

Main skills: Shroud of Malassa, Prime Magic, Dark Magic

Shade Weaver

Shade Weavers are priests of Malassa. Entirely dedicated to the Dragon of Darkness, they fiercely defend the Dark Elves' underground realm in the name of their Goddess.

Dark Elves are a pragmatic people, and bribery and assassination are often cheaper than
raising an army. Their generals believe that a war is better won with persuasive words,
devious stratagems, and a poisoned daggers than with an army in the field, and as such
they have no hesitation about sending out spies, saboteurs and assassins as instruments
of their policy.

Shadow Slayer

Shadow Slayers are the military leaders of Ygg-Chall. Able to travel far and quickly to lead their concealed armies to battle, their mastery of warfare and offensive manoeuvres is unrivalled among the dark elves.

Main skills: Shroud of Malassa, Offense, Warcries

Darkblade

Darkblades know all the secret tunnels and subterranean passages of Ashan. Skilled in the art of war, they are decent diplomat and magic users. But their main role is to establish new outposts just below the enemy's feet.

Main skills: Shroud of Malassa, Warfare, Exploration

Trickster

As their name implies, Tricksters are the masters of deception, always coming with new schemes to take the upper hand over their enemies. Armies placed under their command move across the battlefield like an army of shadows.

"Through their dealings with the Dragon Goddess of Darkness, the Dark Elves and their allies have gained the ability to become ones with shadows, intangible and invisible, only revealing themselves when they are ready to strike."

Novice: Allied creatures receive the "Shrouded" buff at the beginning of each combat. It is permanent but gets removed after the creature performed an attack (not when retaliating).
Shrouded: The creature can move through other creatures (allied and hostile) but not obstacles.

Expert: Shrouded: The creature gets +1 movement.

Master: Shrouded: The creature gets +20 luck and +5 attack on an attack (not when retaliating).
All skill effects are
cumulative!

]]>
55bf69a36b3bb77034c69f6ehttp://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/skill-shroud-of-malassa
Mon, 03 Aug 2015 15:16:19 +0200General discussionArmies of the Abyss, Part 3
Good day to you all, friends! Or is it good night? I lose track.

What I do know is that the time has come to discuss the most dangerous creatures dwelling in the bottomless abyss, the true champions of the dark.

Cave Hydra

The Hydras’ bite is nasty and, depending on the Dragon whose spilled blood was involved in the Hydra’s creation, it will have varying effects on the unfortunate victim.

Dark Hydra

Dark Hydras are among the most terrifying creatures one can encounter in the Abyss. There’s a malevolence and relentlessness about them than make my skin crawl.

Shadow Dragon

Worshipped by Dark Elf society, Shadow Dragons tolerate their worshippers and occasionally ally with them. But there’s always a price to their help…

Despite being firmly on our side, I can sense our friend Jorgen's reluctance to share details about the military forces gathering into the darkest bowels of Ygg-Chall. Allow me to share what I know of the current forces fighting in the name of Malassa. To my knowledge, these creatures form the core of their armies.

Here, this dream shard will allow you to have a glimpse at these units' appearance.

Assassin

A young Dark Elf needs to know several arts to survive in Ygg-Chall: magic, alchemy, swordplay… and of course, assassination.

Shade

Alchemy is the Dark Elves’ favourite hobby. Especially when it involves creating new sorts of poisons…

Stalker

Dark Elves fight dirty. Stalkers are a good reminder of that fact.

Tracker

Trackers carry special crossbows, cut from the roots of a Treant, their trigger and mechanism forged from Shadowsteel. They shoot further, send quarrels truer, and inflict more grievous wounds than any regular bow or crossbow.

Troglodyte

The Dark Elves were quick to realize the usefulness of these creatures to expand their subterranean empire, and have been using magic to force Troglodytes to do their bidding.

Chthonian

A legend claims Troglodytes keep on solidifying, eventually becoming pillars of living rock, fortifying the tunnels and burrows dug by their brethren.

]]>
55bf628b6b3bb70952c69f72http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/mmh7-available-on-september-29th
Mon, 03 Aug 2015 14:46:03 +0200General discussionHere Be Neutrals
In
Might & Magic Heroes VII, you’ll encounter creatures that don’t belong to any faction. They are called Neutrals. Here is a sneak peek at the ones you’ll meet in Heroes VII. All of them can be recruited in specific buildings found on the adventure map, like the Elemental Conflux and the Magic Menagerie.

SEA ELF PIRATE

Armed with a cutlass and lightning-fast fencing techniques, the Sea Elf Pirates are redoubtable foes at sea.

GOLD DRAGON

Quite probably the most powerful Neutral of Heroes VII, it is said the Gold Dragon can be summoned with a specific artefact...

GRIFFINS

Griffins and Imperial Griffins have a special status, as they are also used in the Haven line-up in place of the Dire Wolf / Silverback in specific parts of the single player campaign (when the aptly-named Griffin Duchy is featured).

ELEMENTALS

Spirits of Earth, Fire, Water and Air, Elementals are among the most common Neutrals encountered in Ashan. Not so easily dispatched, they can be recruited in the Elemental Conflux, but also guard the treasures of the mysterious Elemental Forges…

DEMONS

While Inferno is not present in Heroes VII as a Faction, groups of Juggernauts and Lilims can be encountered in the darkest corners of Ashan.

SHANTIRI GUARDIANS

Much more powerful than their Academy counterparts, Shantiri Golems and Titans are usually found guarding ancient ruins and powerful artefacts…

After Marzhin got our
creative juices flowing with his great introduction into the editor tool, I have today the pleasure to come back to this topic to give you a first glimpse of the modding in MMH7!

First of all, even if the “default” editor provide a lot of great features and customization possibilities, what will be presented today is mainly based on the use of the “advanced” view of the editor. The following content is only a tiny selection of what you can do thanks to Unreal Engine's flexibility, and we are sure many of you will be able to go even further with some sweat.

We will, in the future, provide more in-depth guides on using the editor. We hope that you will also be able to master the tool and bend it in your own way. However, the tool also has some limitations and you won’t be able to break all the “rules of the game” and ultimately it will still be a Heroes game.

As your host for this first tour, I will present you some “easy” modifications I was able to do on my own, bearing in mind I do not know a lot about 3D modeling or development in general.

Today we will present you 3 short examples of modding through the editing of: one Hero, one unit and one town.

Please keep in mind that those examples where prepared on a very limited lapse of time and there might have some visual glitches that could be easily fixed. Moreover, the tone of this article will be a bit different from usual but I really wanted to share the fun I had while preparing it so please forgive me! :)
Before we dive right in to our examples I would like to make something clear about the modding in MMH7. You will not be able to "directly" mod the game files but instead be able to duplicate any existing content, for example towns or heroes. From here you will be able to edit them however you see fit.

By doing so, you will be able to create new “packages” containing your modifications or newly created content. MMH7 Modding is “map-based” meaning that if you create a map using a specific package or modifying specific files, those modifications will be directly available in the map itself so people won’t have to download additional elements.

This would also prevent data corruption for the game itself since it won’t interfere with “vanilla” content (for instance, official Campaigns will not be altered by the modding). Every map will be able to have its own set of content and specific tweaking, nothing too taxing but just something to consider :)

For example: you could duplicate the Academy town and use it as a basis to create a full new town or only edit a few values (this package could be called “AcademyV2” or “Sorceress Town” etc.). This package will be directly available within the map you are currently working on but you will also be able to use it in your future creations and also share it with everybody so they can use it in their own maps too.

Heroes

As mentioned previously, you will be able to create your own Heroes with unique portraits thanks to the
default editor. The “advanced” mode will allow you to go even further with the possibility of creating or modifying existing Heroes on a great list of elements. Basically, this is our development tool so you can already imagine the potential.

Let’s use the following Sylvan Hero as an example: Sailin. As explained before I will first of all duplicate this package to enable editing.

For our test we will begin by replacing Saillin's for Jenova's Heroes III model.
In the editor you can use the research feature to find all the elements associated with a specific feature (hero, unit etc.) – after a while you will be able to understand by yourself the hierarchy of the elements and find them on the go.

Concerning the visual part, we will stick to basic changes:

The portrait: right click, replace and there you go.

2D model (for Hero window): for this one we are going to use the amazing work of the DeviantArtist
BasakTinli

3D model textures: as explained before, I won’t go for a full 3D model change by myself, but it is really easy to change texture file for color swapping, detail modifications etc.

Sailin is changing…

A quick texture editing before/after (hue modification only but you could do a lot more)

From texture editing to 3D result (don't judge my tastes, this is a test only!)

Now that we are done with the visual aspect of this Hero, we will go a bit further with some property editing. The list of available properties would be too long to detail in this article but let’s take some examples.

First of all, thanks to Sailin's archetype I will not only be able to change her Class but also modify her Skills (select existing ones, duplicate to edit them etc.).

Keeping in that direction, I will also modify the specialization of my Hero to fit with Jenova's true one: “The hero provides 350 gold per day to this kingdom.” (Delver of the Royal Purse in MMH7).

I won't go into details for now concerning the folllowing properties window but as you can see you have many editable categories and subcategories. Every time a magnifying glass icon is displayed, it means that this element is defined by another package that you could also duplicate and edit.

Extract of a hero property window

Well maybe Necromancy was a bit too much...

There are also dozens and dozens of stats/properties/packages/etc. you should be able to edit but we won’t go any further for today regarding Hero modification. Even so, just to give you some ideas, in addition of being able to change Skills I also managed to modify/create spells and reorganize them.

The windy Fireball!

Unit

The subject of our next experiment will be the Cabir Master. This is a sweet, cute, small creature. Not for long with his new cousin :)

After duplicating the Cabir Master, we will edit this new creature with the name and portrait of an old fella, welcome back Master Gremlin! We will slightly tweak the texture pack to change the color.

Again, there is a lot I would be able to change here such as growth, cost, 3D/2D models, icons, stats, size, animations, sounds and so on. For now we will keep it simple with a boost of this creature power.

I’m happy to introduce to you the new Giant Cabir/Gremlin! (
Unfortunately it seems this screenshot was taken before changing the name).
Yes they now have resurrection, why not? Indeed you can add/change creature’s abilities too :)

If you are really invested (including 3D artists such as some of you at Heroes Community:)), you will also be able to duplicate creatures and create new neutrals, replace creatures or even create your own faction…. Everything is here.

Town

Let’s conclude this second article about the map editor with some town customization.

As you can see underneath, there are even more editable properties for the towns (names, cost, assets, stats etc.) and you will also be able to edit each building one by one. You'll never be wanting for things to do!

Extract of a Town properties

For now, let’s stick again to visual modifications for both adventure map models and townscreen of this Academy n°2 town.

Thanks to my non-knowledge of 3D I will stay with a basic texture editing for the adventure map town building, just shifting some colors for the last time. Of course, if you have more time and are really creative, you will be able to create your own town design.

Let’s replace the blue by gold (but I could also redraw some stuff, add details, change 3D model etc etc.).

Concerning the townscreen, you should be able to edit each element on its own and replace them as you please. For instance, this is the big advantage of 2D towns since it will allow real customization without extensive knowledge of picture editing.

I did a few tests while preparing this article but here are the main two ones I wanted to present you today:

- First of all, “Stronghold2” townscreen by night from
Jo3780. Unfortunately it was a bit difficult to really pay tribute to this creation from a single picture file but I hope this will give you a good idea of what is achievable here!

- And secondly, a special homage :)
This is a first test I handled yesterday - I still need to reiterate to optimize the whole thing but what do you think? (all started with a duplicate of MMH7 Stronghold townscreen)

Well, unfortunately that’s all for today Councillors!

Even though this was only a very small glimpse of the editor possibilities, I hope this article will give you the motivation to unleash your creativity in Heroes VII.

We look forward to what some of you will create and discovering your projects that you will hopefully share with us all (already, I am starting to see some nice concepts out there!)

this year again the M&M team will be present at Gamescom to showcase
Might & Magic Heroes VII in Cologne (Germany)!

For those of you that will have the opportunity to go to this great event, do not hesitate to drop by and pay us a visit in
Hall 6.1!

Various members of the team will be present from August 5th to 9th to showcase our latest demo featuring the final faction of the game: Dungeon.

You will also have the opportunity to participate to special events with in-depth presentation and Q&A sessions with the team at the Uplay Lounge on:

August 5th at 6pm

August 6th at 6pm

August 7th at 7pm

We are looking forward meeting some of you and do not worry, the reveal of the faction will also start on the website from August 6th!
]]>
55ba38146b3bb7f17426f842http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/mmh7-at-gamescom
Thu, 30 Jul 2015 16:43:32 +0200General discussionSkills: Bloodrage
Discover today the Faction Skill of the Stronghold faction: Bloodrage!

“With or without Demon blood, all Stronghold troops seem to share the Orcs’ fighting spirit. Their eagerness for battle makes them incredibly fast and powerful at the start of a battle.”

Novice: Each friendly creatures start a combat with a "Bloodrage" buff increasing their attack value by X. At Novice rank, this value is set at 6 at the beginning of the combat and is decreased by 2 when a friendly creature defends or waits and by 2 at the end of one turn. If Bloodrage gets 0 or less, the buff is removed.

Many among you have requested more information about the dynasty of Griffin, of which Ivan, our Duke and – if the Maiden of Fate smiles upon us – future Emperor, is the last offspring.

I have served the House of Griffin for a long time, either as “Jorgen” or under… other names. I therefore have firsthand knowledge regarding some of the most famous Lords and Ladies of Griffin.

Ishtvan, the First Griffin

The bold Ishtvan, king of the Griffin tribe, was possibly the fiercest opponent Ronan the Great faced when forging his Empire. Even in defeat, Ishtvan always remained proud and defiant, going as far as refusing to convert to Elrath when Ronan’s great grandson, Brian Falcon, decided to dedicate the Empire to the worship of the Light. Being a controversial figure, he is not remembered as fondly as other heroes of the Empire’s early days, such as Siegfried of Wolf or Richard of Unicorn, who are featured in many popular folktales.

Suspicious of the Angels who walk his lands exalting Elrath, Ishtvan was especially fond of provoking Brian’s new allies. When they offered him a sword – the Blade of Revelation, more commonly known as the Sword of the Griffin – he hung it on his trophy wall and refused to touch it again. Instead, he asked the best blacksmiths of the Duchy to fashion him a new sword, known as the Iron Feather. Ishtvan saw Iron Feather as a symbol of the Griffin’s indomitable spirit.

Ishtvan never wielded the sword in battle as he was murdered shortly after it was completed. The culprit was never found, and it is widely believed Ishtvan’s assassination was political above anything else, as his frequent outbursts in court had become too much of an embarassment to the imperial throne and the Church of Light.

As it turns out, Ishtvan’s spirit was truly indomitable: Ishtvan’s ghost gleefully haunts his descendents, reminding them that they have the blood of Ylath running in their veins. His spirit may have been tied to Iron Feather somehow, as he has not reappeared since the sword’s destruction.

Serguei

Like a blade is tempered, Duke Serguei's temperament was forged by the freezing winds of the Griffin steppes. This harsh man did not take kindly to weakness, hated compromise, and despised skullduggery. While some at the imperial court found Serguei obnoxious, his qualities as a commander of men endeared him to Empress Kyla, who appointed him Admiral of her great armada just before the Orc Crusades. Serguei is also famous for his lifelong rivalry with Heinrich of Wolf, perpetuating the old feud between the two Duchies.

Much maligned in history books for the role he played during the Crusade, as well as in Hammer Fall when the city fought to reclaim its independence from the Empire, Serguei of Griffin is nonetheless one of the most brilliant military commanders of the history of the Holy Empire. I shall not tell more about him for the moment, as I expect you will hear more about him before too long...

Sveltana

The daughter of Serguei, who had been hoping for a son, Sveltana, celebrated in her youth as the “Flower of the North”, initially bore the weight of being an only child – and the wrong one. At the age of fifteen her brother Pavel was born, and she was quickly ignored as he was named heir. Perfectly content with the turn of events, she left to study the nature of Spirit World first with the Angels and then with the Wizards of the Seven Cities. Once there, she excelled in her research and soon came under the tutelage of the Necromancer Aguirre. Already distant from her family, Sveltana decided to join the fledgling cult of the Spider Goddess, and she became Aguirre's assistant and right hand.

She traveled with her master to the Naga islands of the Jade Sea in order to free the Mother Namtaru, a powerful aspect of the Spider Goddess. Aguirre was killed on the expedition and Sveltana brought the entity back to the Seven Cities alone, thus becoming a living legend among her fellow Necromancers. She did not have much time to enjoy her new status, however, as soon after her triumphant return she had to run back home to help Pavel repel a demon outburst. Sadly, she was too late to save her brother. Instead, Sveltana became regent of the Griffin Duchy, until the coming of age of her nephew Slava, Pavel’s only son. In doing this she earned the enmity of various Griffin nobles as well as the Angels, not too happy to see the future Duke groomed by a Necromancer.

Once she was confident Slava was able to rule on his own, Sveltana settled once and for all in the Seven Cities, seeking the peace of study and contemplation. Fate brought her back to the Falcon Empire to revive Anastasya, her favourite grand-niece, which in many ways became the daughter Sveltana never had. Chosen to be the Hierophant of the Mother Namtaru, Sveltana eventually passed the position to Anastasya and retired to pars unknown, only returning in times of crisis, such as when the Nethermancer, Sandro, tried to wipe the Mother Namtaru from existence with the powers of the Void.

Longing to discover the hidden secrets of the world, Sveltana eventually mounted an expedition to explore the lands of the Shrouded South. She was not heard of since, but Anastasya assured me she is still “alive”, wherever she is.

Pavel

Born fifteen years after his sister Sveltana, as his parents had given much hope of having another child, Pavel was truly made in the same cold and ruthless mold as his father. Pavel’s devotion to the Imperial throne and the Church of Light bordered on fanaticism, which made him a strong supporter and ally for the Angels. It must however be said his character did mellow down a bit after the birth of his son, Slava. While merciless on the battlefield, Pavel was by all accounts a caring and loving husband and father.

In 521 YSD, when word came that a tribe of renegade Orcs had settled in the mountains of the Dragons’ Causeway, close to the Griffin border, Pavel led an assault against their villages, killing all Orcs without distinction – save for one shaman, Toghrul, who escaped the slaughter. Consumed by grief and hatred, Toghrul betrayed the ways of his people and used his Demon blood to make a pact with the Demon Prince Ahribban. Toghrul offered his soul to Urgash in exchange of vengeance. A party of Demons was summoned to wreak havoc across the Griffin Duchy. Pavel’s own wife was brutally murdered by the marauding Demons. After putting his son to safety, Pavel led his men against the Demons, facing them on the field near Voron Peak. Though victory was won, Pavel himself lost his life.

Later, it became apparent Pavel’s faithful soul had been smuggled away by the Angels, and used to bring back the great general of the Elder Wars, the Archangel Michael.

Slava

Raised by his Aunt, the Necromancer Sveltana, after the death of his father when he was only a boy, Slava nonetheless managed to grow up a rash but good-natured young man. Taking up the title of Duke of Griffin when he came of age, Slava was a true example of the Griffin’s dual nature. Making peace with the Orcs of the Whitespear tribe and inviting them to settle in his Duchy, he nonetheless took part to the War of the Bitter Ashes against the Elven queen Tuidhana of Tarlad. Emperor Liam, seeking to strengthen his hold on the Stag and Griffin families, arranged his bethrothing to Cate, one of the daughters of Connell of Stag. Slava and Cate immediately liked each other, and looked forward to their wedding.

As the war against the Elves dragged on, a party of assassins managed to sneak inside Connell’s castle, and assassinated Deridre, Cate’s twin sister. Cate’s personality changed drastically after this tragedy. Once lively and feisty, Cate became guarded and distant. Slava was drawn back to his former flame, Elisabeth, a barroness of the Greyhound Duchy. He intended to make Elisabeth his wife, but Emperor Liam forbid their union, insisting that Slava kept his vow to marry Cate instead, for reasons of state. However, Elisabeth was already pregnant with Slava’s first son, Sandor, which the Emperor never accepted as a legitimate heir to the Griffin Duchy. Slava, however, always recognized Sandor as his son.

Despite this rocky beginning, Slava and Cate, now husband and wife, eventually grew to love each other, and managed to build a strong house together, giving birth to four legitimate children: Anton, Irina, Anastasya and Kiril.

Slava’s life was plagued by repeated conflicts with his neighbour and rival, Gerhart of Wolf. In an effort to force them to make peace, Emperor Liam, following the advice of Archangel Uriel, forced Slava to offer the hand of his daughter Irina to Gerhart in marriage. Slava’s children, especially Irina as one can expect, never quite forgave their father for not standing up to Liam that day.

Slava was eventually murdered in 564 YSD by his other daughter, Anastasya, under the magical influence of a then-unknown party. While the Angels were quick to blame us Faceless for this heinous act, the true culprit was eventually revealed to be Uriel himself, who feared Slava would eventually rebel againt the Angels’ authority, and wanted to put Anton, more “malleable”, in charge of the Griffin Duchy.

Cate na Feidh

As I was explaining before, Cate was one of the daughters of Duke Connell of Stag. During the War of the Bitter Ashes, Emperor Liam arranged her marriage to the young Duke Slava of Griffin, while her twin sister Deirdre was bethroted to Gerhart of Wolf. A series of tragedies struck the Stag dynasty during the war against Tuidhana’s people: her brother Brendan died in battle early during the war, her other brother Kieran was abducted, and eventually Cate’s twin sister Deirdre was killed by Elven assassins. These events changed Cate’s personality drastically, creating a rift with her future husband, Slava.

I can now reveal that the woman Slava married was, in fact, not Cate at all. Cate is the one who died that fateful night. Seeking to escape her upcoming marriage with the brutish Gerhart, Deirdre seized the chance to switch places with her twin sister, thus becoming “Cate” to the outside world. Unfortunately, while their features were identical, Deirdre was not the same person Slava had met before. While explaining her change of personality by grief at the loss of her beloved sister, they had no matching interests nor compatible personalities. Love eventually blossomed between these two, but it was love born of wisdom, not passion.

Was Slava aware of his wife’s true identity? Even I don’t know for sure. But considering even someone like Gerhart of Wolf became suspicious of Cate’s change of behaviour, I can’t believe Slava never had any doubts of his own.

Eventually, “Cate” became plagued by dark dreams regarding the fate of her long-lost brother, Kieran. She traveled to the Stag Duchy to look for clues to his whereabouts, but found her true calling instead. She became a Dragon Knight of Malassa… but that is a story for another time.
Speaking of which, this council session has already been quite long and I can see some of you are losing interest. Therefore, I suggest we stop here for today and talk about Cate and Slava’s children another time.

My name is Julien Pirou, you probably know me better under the nickname Marzhin on various forums and here, on the Shadow Council. Today I wish to share with you all a first look at our Heroes VII Map Editor.

A quick disclaimer: the team at Limbic are still working on it as we speak, and it will continue to be improved during the run up to release, with further support post launch. Some things I’ll show you today will probably have changed a little by the time the game hits the shelves.

First, let me answer your most recurring questions;

Yes, you will be able to mod a lot of things. Modding is a topic we’ll talk about in more detail in future Shadow Council articles.

Yes, a Campaign Editor is included.

Yes, there will be a Random Map Generator.

The RMG is a topic worthy of its own article, so for today we’ll focus on the “basic” Map Editor.

The first important thing to know about the Heroes VII Map Editor is that it has two modes. “Default” mode has a simplified interface and focuses on the tools you need to make a Heroes map, while “Advanced" mode is essentially the Unreal Editor. At any point during the map making process you will be able to freely switch between both modes. If your intent is to mod the game and create custom content for your map, you’ll have to use the advanced mode. Don’t worry though, a lot of things can be done even if you don’t know how to code. I don’t!

So here’s a typical screen shot from the default Map Editor as it is today:

This map needs some love!

If you’ve created Heroes maps in the past, you’ll recognize many tools and tabs from previous editors. You have things such as Terrain painting, tabs dedicated to Heroes, Creatures, Artefacts, Resources, Towns, Buildings, and decorative objects (“props”). Being a 3D game, we also have a tab dedicated to sculpting the landscape.

Example of landscape scultpted in the editor.

There’s also the Foliage painting tab. Here you can create brushes, combining various types of trees, bushes and stomps, while deciding the scale variations and density of painting. This is of course super helpful when wanting to cover your map with all sorts of forests.

Painting trees…

Let’s talk about something a bit more concrete, with the example of an actual map. To test the Map Editor, I’ve started creating a Scenario Map featuring various game play mechanics. It is called Blood on the Bay, and will allow you to play an episode from the Tales of the Ten Years War. In this map, you play as Clive Morgan, the Baron of Bayworth, who must defend his lands against another lord, Garland of Greystone.

A quick look at the Map Properties.

My goal with the map was to have the following ingredients;

Narration

Unconventional Win/Lose conditions

Custom heroes (with custom portraits)

Custom artefacts (with custom icons)

Secondary Quests

Scripted Events

Custom buildings / interactive objects

The map itself is not too complicated right now, but I intend to keep working on it. I will eventually offer it for download here, on the Shadow Council, when the game releases. I hope the budding mapmakers among you will open it in the Editor to see how it was done, inspiring you, and firing up your creativity.

Let’s now review some of the options offered by the Map Editor.

To facilitate texture painting (and easily check the passability of the map), you can at any moment switch to
2D mode, a top-down view of your map.

Speaking of passability, every object, tree or prop you put on the map has of course a default passability setting. But if you so desire, you can use the
Passability Painting to block a tile entirely, or actually force it to be passable. This is useful if you want your hero to be able to ride up a steep mountain slope for instance, or if you want to hide secret passages inside a forest.

Black tiles are blocked, grey have the default behaviour, and white tiles have forced passability.

The Hero Tool allows you to create your own custom heroes. Pick a portrait, a class, a specialization, starting troops, etc. You can also import a custom portrait -- currently, it requires you using the advanced editor. Fortunately it’s pretty easy to do.

The
Artefact Tool is the same thing but for, you guessed it, artefacts. You can therefore create your own magical items to put on your maps as treasures or rewards. In Blood on the Bay, Clive will be able to retrieve Tidal Wave, the hammer wielded by his ancestors. This artefact only exists in this map, and will also have a custom icon.

Hero Tool on the left, Artefact Tool on the right.

When creating a Scenario map, the Script Tool is where the magic truly happens. Here you can set up quests, prepare events, trigger scripts, and customize the player’s experience. You don’t have to type any line of script yourself, all is done through handy drop-down menus.

A script triggering the good old brigand ambush when you are about to pick up an artefact :)

I must tell you of one of my favourite features of the Heroes VII Editor. the Visitable Shell object. It’s basically an interactive object to which you can attribute any 3D model found in the game (or even your own!), and can then use in a script to trigger various effects. For instance, I recall someone in the comments of a previous article wondering about windmills?

Visitable Shells are perfect to use as "quest huts", or simply unique locations or battle sites for your maps. Did I mention you can create your own combat maps in the Map Editor? Well, you can :)

(See that blue crystal on the right? That’s the Visitable Shell’s default model).

That’s it for your first glimpse of the Map Editor. I can’t wait to see what you, the community will create with it, and I look forward to sharing some of my own creations with everyone.

If you’d like to see more info regarding the Map Editor in the future, with more in depth explanations of how certain aspects of
Blood on the Bay is being created, don’t hesitate to let me know in the comments, and I’ll be happy to oblige.

Several months ago this Council voted for the revamp of two emblematic units of the Necropolis faction: the Lich and the Vampire.

Today we are pleased to unveil you the final design of those creatures in Might & Magic Heroes VII! Thank you again for your commitment Councillors, we hope we managed to meet your expectations with this redesign. Stay tuned for 3D models and animations trough website update in the coming weeks.

Vampire

Timeless and heartless, this aristocratic warrior has adopted a dark and twisted code of chivalry. But beneath his noble appearance lies the undying thirst for fresh blood.

Lich

Reading unholy scripture from the pages of some ancient Book of the Dead or Libram of Last Rites, this priest of Asha invokes the darkest aspect of his Goddess.

The time has come for me to tell you some information about Shalassa’s children, the serpentine Nagas. This is a topic that was suggested by you, my friends -- however keep in mind the Lotus Empire is, as far as I can tell, not involved in nor interested by Ivan’s struggle.

The Nagas are a mysterious people, even for the likes of me. Fortunately, one Faceless has lived among them for centuries. At one time, he called himself Mukao, and what I know of the Nagas, I know from him.

The Quest for Perfection

To understand the history of the Lotus Empire, you have to understand how their society works. The Naga nation is based on a master-apprentice relationship. All Nagas swear allegiance and promise obedience to their chosen master. Duty and loyalty are expected. The basic goal of a Naga is to achieve self-perfection; they hope to live lives of purity and simplicity, believing that those who do so are reborn as the spirits of the ocean who aid Shalassa in her works. Death is not to be feared, then, but to be accepted without worry; the hope is that the Naga has raised itself to a level of spiritual perfection such that it will be welcomed by Shalassa.

Perfection is pursued through rigorous physical training and weapons practice, prayer and meditation, and by withstanding great rigours and hardship. The body and mind are soft tissue to be hardened in the crucible of exercise and prayer. When a Naga feels that he has surpassed his master, he must defeat him in a formal duel. If successful, he becomes a master himself, or seeks further training from a superior master. These duels are not necessarily fought with weapons. They could be contests of poetry, ritual meditation, or even cooking.

The Eternal Empress

The highest master in Naga society is the Eternal Empress, who is considered as the living incarnation of Shalassa. Some historians have suggested the Eternal Empress is merely a persona adopted by a succession of rulers – men and women alike – as they must shed their old identity and become the embodiment of perfection once they ascend to the highest position of the Naga society. Of course, that theory has never been proven, and no Naga would ever confirm it. As far as we know, the Eternal Empress truly is an immortal.

The Eternal Empress is both the military and spiritual head of Naga society. She has led the Nagas since times older than History, and she has never ever been defeated in a duel. The Naga culture being what it is, however, that has never prevented ambitious Naga lords to try.

Many times during its history, the Lotus Empire has known terrible civil wars instigated by one of the Daimyos willing to overthrow the Empress and take her place. Because war among Nagas obeys many rules and victory cannot be less than perfect, Nagas never involve outsiders in their conflicts. They usually cut their political relationships with the other nations, and retreat to their dominions of the Jade Ocean until one of the contestants emerges victorious. Naga traders, explorers, and seekers of truth will still be met outside the borders of the Lotus Empire, but do not expect to make any deal involving the Naga nation as a whole.

The Crusade of the Autumn Wind

Civil wars in the Lotus Empire are usually followed by a period of expansion and interactions with the rest of the world, as if to make up for the times of isolation. These periods are known as Diasporas, and are usually times of evolution, progress and change within Naga society. For instance, the great weaponsmith Hagane Goro studied the art of forging Starsilver among the Elves of Irollan during the first great Diaspora. But Diasporas are also times of conquest and military agressiveness. Several Naga kingdoms were founded, such as Shanriya in the glaciers of the Dragons’ Causeway, or Sayama in the Sahaar Desert. These smaller Naga kingdoms are supposed to be vassals of the Lotus Empire, but time and distance made them grow independent, eventually attracting the ire of their immortal ruler.

Early in the seventh century, the Eternal Empress intended to reconquer Shanriya, who had become too free-spirited for her tastes. To support her war effort, she sent her best generals across Ashan to gather powerful relics. This was known as the Crusade of the Autumn Wind. One of the Empress’ most trusted advisors, Daimyo Oshiro, got his hands on a Tear of Asha whose power was of a magnitude never seen before. Rather than bringing it back to his mistress, Oshiro decided to harness its power for himself, turning his armies against the Eternal Empress. It is said Oshiro came as close as the gates of Nariya, the Nagas’ underwater capital city, but his rebellion was eventually crushed when the Empress herself came to the battlefield and demonstrated how powerful she truly was.

Oshiro the Accursed

Oshiro managed to flee by making a deal with a kingmaker spirit, a Kirin. He offered his life to the sacred creature, asking it to get his people to safety in exchange. The Kirin accepted, touched by Oshiro’s noble and selfless sacrifice. Thanks to the Kirin’s powers, Oshiro’s people escaped the Empress’ wrath – although they were condemned to a miserable life where the Tear had been found, in the subterranean lakes and rivers hidden under the Vantyr mountains. But Oshiro had fooled the Kirin: instead of giving his life as promised, he used the magic of the Tear of Asha to shield himself from the creature, driving it to rage and madness. And thus Daimyo Oshiro became Oshiro the Accursed.

Tuidhana’s people, the Dark Elves, encountered Oshiro and his renegade Nagas in their quest for the very same Tear of Asha. Commander Yrris led the Elves to victory against Oshiro, even killing the enraged Kirin. The surviving Nagas were forced to recognize the Clanlords as their new masters. Their priestesses received Malassa’s gift, and in accepting the mark of Darkness they also rejected the ways of Shalassa in favour or her destructive aspect, the goddess of the dark depths, the Wrecker. These Naga priestesses became what their people call Medusae.

Defeat in Victory

Oshiro’s rebellion had put an end to the Eternal Empress’ plans to bring Shanriya back into the fold, and the Ice Nagas had used the time to fortify themselves, even making strong alliances with the Free City of Stormcliff and the Dwarves of Ostgerd. After the losses suffered against Oshiro, any new attempt to wage war against Shanriya would be foolish.

In itself, this would not be so bad. But you have to remember the Nagas’ obsession with perfection. While she had technically been victorious against Oshiro, the Eternal Empress’ perfect rule was now stained, and her ability to lead was being questioned. In the following decades, the Lotus Empire slowly descended into disunion. More and more Daimyos were becoming insolent, even rebellious, and the Eternal Empress had to begin a great campaign to prove herself worthy of Shalassa’s favour. According to Mukao, this has proven her greatest challenge yet, one she hasn’t yet overcome.

So the Nagas of the Jade Ocean remain isolated for the moment, and the ones in Shanriya are not confident enough yet to meddle with the affairs of the Holy Empire. As for the Sayama Nagas, they are a small community whose main trade is water, not something that would be of great help to Ivan.

And this why, my friends, the Nagas have played no part in the Ten Years War, and probably won’t have much impact on the life of land-dwellers before quite some time…

We have received word from Irollan stating that an ambassador is being sent to Ivan’s court. According to my informants in the Elven realm, this ambassador is Lord Lasir, a native of the merchant city of Erewel. An interesting choice from High-King Alaron, to be sure.

Located near the border between Irollan and the Unicorn Duchy. Erewel attracts all kinds of visitors – Imperial merchants, Wizards from Karthal, Dwarves from Sudgerd – looking to acquire the unique and beautiful Elven crafts in wood, leather, and crystal. The son of a woodworker, Lasir had no talent for making art himself, yet was “crafty” in his own way. Sylanna had indeed blessed him with a talent for negotiation. He was especially apt at weaving a nice tale around an otherwise mundane object, so it would sell for a higher price than what it was actually worth.

This peculiar talent came to the attention of the local Elven Queen – one of the many rulers of Irollan, all vassals to the High-King of that era, Vaniel – who was about to strike a trade agreement with the Crimson Wizards of Karthal. Thanks to Lasir, the agreement turned very profitable for the Elves, and the Queen decided to invite Lasir to become a member of her council. While his young age irked some other members of the council (he was no more than three centuries old at the time), he proved as skilled in politics as he had been in trade.

By all accounts, Lasir is highly intelligent and not to be underestimated. Because of his low birth and “down to earth” upbringing; he often surprises his interlocutors with his friendliness and familiarity that are in stark contrast with the perceived “haughtiness” of the Elves.

Lasir had still not proven his worth on a battlefield, though. The Fourth Eclipse gave him the opportunity, as Lasir took part to a harrowing battle where Elves, Human and Wizard armies were allied together against a large Demon force descending from the Vantyr mountains.

The battle did not go well. The Demons were uncharacteristically well-disciplined, and were taking the upper hand. As things were becoming desperate, a Human knight gathered warriors and made an assault against the enemy general. With a battle cry of “Ashan!”, Lasir and a Wizard from the Silver Cities joined the fight. Knight, Elf and Wizard were eventually able to strike down the Demon general. With his demise, the Demon forces immediately became wild and disorganized, and were easily overcome by the allied armies.

The heroic Knight turned out to be none other than Lady Rowena, the Duchess of Unicorn. After the war, Lasir became the Elven ambassador at Rowena’s court.

I suppose being already familiar with the “strange” customs of the Holy Empire made him an ideal candidate to join Ivan’s council in Alaron’s eyes. Above all else, however, Lasir is a negotiator. He sees himself as an honest man, and it is my understanding that he will never tell an outright lie or go against his personal values to obtain something, but if he has to “embellish” things a little bit to achieve his goals, then that is fair business.

…There is one more thing, although I’m not sure if it is worth this council’s precious time. It might be little more than a fireside tale.

One of my spies has told me another story regarding Lasir’s connection to the Unicorn Duchy. When Rowena, Lasir and the unidentified Wizard killed the Demon general during the Fourth Eclipse, they allegedly found a strange weapon, half-claw, half-blade, on his body. The heroes surmised the artefact was somehow binding the Demons to the will of its wielder, and, together, they swore an oath to ensure it would never fall back into Demonic hands. But I’m not sure to believe this story, at least not without more evidence…

]]>
55a8b8980c75f7f5358cbfb3http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/the-elven-ambassador-lasir
Fri, 17 Jul 2015 10:11:04 +0200Story & LoreBeta Factions: You have Chosen!
The time has come for the official results of the upcoming Beta Faction vote!

During the last two weeks, you had the opportunity to decide which factions will be playable in Closed Beta 2 and your voice has been heard!

Today we are glad to announce the victory of Sylvan and Dungeon!

Enemy brothers sharing a bitter history, they will show no mercy to each other…

Those two factions will join the fight alongside Haven and Academy, stay tuned for more information about MMH7 Closed Beta 2.

This time again the recount showed no irregularities in the final results, thank you Councillors!
]]>
55a7bd2f0c75f7a8788cbfb2http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/beta-factions-you-have-chosen
Thu, 16 Jul 2015 16:18:23 +0200VoteTreasure Hunt in MMH7
On the majority of maps, a special treasure is hidden on the adventure map and waiting for a hero to claim it great powers. This treasure is called: “Tear of Asha”.

Lore information: The Tears of Asha are highly superior forms of Dragon Crystals. Ten times larger, and a hundred times more powerful than the dragonblood crystals, these extremely rare gems were shed by Asha to end the Wars of Creation and cleanse the corruption and devastation that the forces of Chaos had brought to her creation. Their powers are nothing short of miraculous, permanently affecting a whole city or region, and capable of bending the laws of Life, Death and Fate themselves.

Revealing the treasure

When exploring the adventure map, your hero might encounter a certain number of Obelisks, depending on map size or the will of map creator. Every time an obelisk is visited, a piece of the treasure map will be removed, allowing the player to discover a portion of the map behind it. When the map is completely revealed, sometimes before, an X mark will be available in the center piece, indicating the position of the Tear of Asha.

Upon visiting the first obelisk, the Hero will be granted a new Adventure map spell: Reveal Treasure. With this spell you will be able to search your Hero location for the treasure (don't forget you can only cast one Adventure Map spell per day!). Depending of the result of your research:

Wrong spot: A small flag will appear on every player maps to signify them that someone tried to find the treasure at this specific location.

Tear of Asha location: If the Hero reveal the treasure, all flags will be removed from the adventure map and the Hero will loses all remaining movement points for this turn. His objective is now to bring the treasure back to one of his town. It is important to know that Instant Recall spell will not work when the Tear of Asha is present in the inventory of the Hero.

Tear of Asha

When the Tear of Asha is transported to a friendly town with a minimum level of 15, a special building will be available for construction. This building do not have any resource cost with the exception of the Tear of Asha of course.

This building will provide you great bonuses and treasure hunt can be a determinant strategic choice to make.

For instance, Haven players will be able to build “Elrath’s Infinite Mercy” which will provides 5000 gold per day and increases the growth of the town by 50%! Moreover, after every combat 10% of your losses will be resurrected.

Thieves Guild

The progress of uncovering the treasure map can be tracked in the Thieves Guild if dedicated slot if unlocked.

Furthermore, when this slot is unlocked for a player and he finds the Tear of Asha, you will be able to track the position of the Hero carrying this precious artifact on the mini map! Be prepared to attack him!

]]>
55a6833829c8365f067ba0aahttp://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/treasure-hunt-in-mmh7
Wed, 15 Jul 2015 17:58:48 +0200Game mechanicsSylvan’s Hall of Heroes
Today, we wanted to share with you the portraits, bios and specializations of some of the Sylvan Heroes you’ll be able to hire in the Hall of Heroes in skirmish or multiplayer maps. While they are not the main characters of the campaigns, some of these characters might play a role in the stories. Longtime Heroes fans might also recognize some familiar faces :)

Keep in mind all of this is still work in progress, especially the class attributions and specializations.

SAILIN

Race: Elf

Affinity: Might

Class: Avenger

Specialization: Blade Dancer Leader (Increases the production of Blade Dancers and Blade Masters by X/week in the Area of Control.)

Biography:Sailin is one of the greatest Blade Dancers of Irollan, having mastered the most complex forms of this deadly art. Her experience, gained in many wars, mean she is now asked to command and train warriors rather than fighting herself. This change of status annoys her, as she rarely feels as good as when she succumbs to the trance of battle.

SYLRAEL

Race: Elf

Affinity: Magic

Class: Thornsower

Specialization: Stone Skin Master

Biography:Sylrael is a lifelong friend of Ossir, whom he accompanied on many adventures. Sylrael is older now, and wiser, spending most of his time teaching the ways of Sylanna in the druidic city of Mensyl, in the very heart of Irollan. When asked about how he survived so many trials and tribulations, Sylrael smiles and answers by telling the truth: when facing danger, he used Earth magic to make his skin as impenetrable as stone.

OSSIR

Biography:Considered a prodigy with the bow, Ossir was unfortunately -- according to his tutors, anyway -- born with a restless and impatient nature. Instead of training, he spent most of his time exploring the lands of Irollan with his friend Sylrael, trying to uncover all kinds of secrets and mysteries. These years of adventuring have made him an experienced tracker and treasure hunter, but have also calmed his wild heart. He is now ready to train seriously, hoping to one day challenge the best shots of Irollan.

DIRAEL

Race: Elf

Affinity: Magic

Class: Starsinger

Specialization: Pixies Enchanter (Increases the production of Pixies and Sprites by X/week.)

Biography:Hovering wasps, circling hornets, busy honeybees -- from childhood Dirael found these tiny flying creatures beautiful and fascinating, like precious buzzing jewels. She was so enamoured that she became a Druid, to better delve into their lore and understand their mysteries. Eventually she responded to the call of the Harmony and went to war, and now she serves Sylanna by summoning hordes of her favourite creatures to sting and harass the enemy.

Elves are the guardians of life itself and they will call upon Earth magic to protect Asha’s initial creation, her garden. Sylvan creatures are particularly gifted in Nature Magic and their people are friendly with nature spirits or magical beasts.

Thornsower

Thornsowers are Sylanna's gardeners, tending the dominion of the Dragon of Earth. Masters of Earth Magic and proficient in Light Magic, they can turn the forest itself into a powerful weapon.

Main skills: Nature’s Revenge, Warfare, Earth Magic

Mystic

Mystics embody the perfect balance of Sylanna. Masters of Earth Magic, they know many of the forest's hidden paths although travelling is not their favourite skill. All Elves turn to them for advice, wisdom and protection, and they have sometimes filled the roles of diplomats and leaders.

Main skills: Nature’s Revenge, Paragon, Earth Magic

Starsinger

Chosen among the ranks of the Druids, the Starsingers' role is to heal the wounds of the forest rather than avenge them. Strong in both Earth and Light Magic, they have the most powerful protective and healing spells in all of Irollan. They are also amongst the best diplomats, knowing that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Avenger

Avengers are the war masters of the Elves. They lead their troops with authority and efficiency, calling upon both the offensive and defensive powers of Earth Magic. They know the land like the back of their hand and are capable of covering long distances very rapidly.

Main skills: Nature’s Revenge, Offense, Warcries

Ranger

The most common Elven heroes, Rangers are quick to adapt to any situation requiring their very diverse skills. Proficient in Earth Magic and warfare techniques, they make decent leaders and diplomats.

Main skills: Nature’s Revenge, Exploration, Destiny

Warden

Wardens are the unwavering guardians of the forests, often compared to strong oaks standing still while the storm rages on around them. They use the full extent of their defense and leadership skills to protect the silva, but when needed they can also rely on their knowledge of the land, not to mention the powers of Earth.

Main skills: Nature’s Revenge, Defense, Leadership

]]>
559aa9546b3bb7e23803d968http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/sylvan-might-heroes
Mon, 06 Jul 2015 18:14:12 +0200Game mechanicsSkills: Nature's Revenge
Now that you discovered the full Sylvan line-up with new dedicated page, it is time to have a look to the Faction skill of Sylvan: Nature's Revenge!

"The Elves never forgive those who harm Nature. Once an opponent has been marked as an enemy of Nature, the Elves will stop at nothing until he is utterly destroyed and his corpse turned into fertiliser."

Novice: Every enemy target creature of default attacks or activated abilities from the creatures of the controlling hero receives one "mark". Creatures have +4 attack while attacking for every mark on the target. All marks are removed at the end of a combat round. Enemy creatures can get 1 mark.

Expert: Enemy creatures can get 2 marks.

Master: Enemy creatures can get 3 marks.
All skill effects are cumulative!

Next week we will introduce you the different classes of Sylvan Heroes but before leaving you for the weekend, we would like to re-introduce you the trusty steed of those fighters (low light capture):

It is now time to discover the Townscreen of the Sylvan Faction in details!
"The Elves are graceful and patient souls who live in close harmony with the lands and forests. They are in tune with Sylanna, the Dragon of Earth. Her deliberate nature and ancient wisdom are reflected in their approach to life and worship. They view the forests and living things as their responsibilities, and do not shrink from punishing those who defile them."

Please keep in mind that all visuals and elements are work in progress and this until the end of the development! This article only focus on main buildings of the townscreen but the game will offer more variety and options (growth building etc.)

Click for full size

Dwellings:

Core Creatures

Faery Woods: Allows to recruit Sprites.

Sacred Grove: Allows to recruit Oak Dryads.

Hunters Lodge: Allows to recruit Master Hunters.

Elite Creatures

Stone Ring: Allows to recruit Druid Elders.

Blade Dance Arena: Allows to recruit Blade Masters.

Sun Garden: Allows to recruit Sun Deers.

Champion Creatures

Treant Sanctum: Allows to recruit Ancient Treants.

Dragon Shrine: Allows to recruit Emerald Dragons.

Warfare Units

Garden Of The Sacred Seed: Allows to recruit support warfare unit.

Archery Platform: Provides the town with 3 towers in siege combats.

Blacksmith: Allows to recruit attack warfare unit.

Buildings:

Capitol: Raises the daily income to 4000 gold / day. There can be only one Capitol per player and per map.

It is now time to discuss the most powerful creatures defending the forest realm. These incredible beings are truly Irollan's champions.

Green Dragon

Because Green Dragons have a rocky hide covered with moss and plants, it’s no surprise that a resting Dragon can easily be mistaken for a mere mound or hill – it’s usually the heavy, gravelly breathing that tips off the unsuspecting traveller!

Emerald Dragon

Like their progenitor Sylanna, Emerald Dragons are among the most patient and measured types of Dragons, rather unlikely to dissolve interlopers with their corrosive breath unless provoked.

Treant

Treants are born only on sacred soil deep within the forests of Irollan, near a Dragon vein or nexus attuned to the essence of Earth.

Ancient Treant

Treants are possibly the oldest creatures walking the surface of Ashan. The tales they would tell if only they could talk! Sadly, they can only… bark.

As I can see you're eager to see more about the Elven armies, allow me to share with you what I know about their elite regiments.

Druid

Monlin, the Elven language, makes no distinction between male or female Druids. They are all called simply ‘Druids’, which can roughly be translated as ‘the ones who know the plants.

Druid Elder

Druid Elders haven’t slain a stag to make their coifs. A dying stag will seek a Druid of his choice and offer him his hide to use as he or she sees fit. It is a great honour to receive such a gift.

Moon Doe

Female Twilight Stags are nocturnal. While they don’t burst into flame when they are touched by sunlight (contrary to what the old nursery rhyme says), they prefer to come out at night, especially when Asha’s Moon is high in the sky, hence their name.

Sun Deer

Needless to say, mating is a rather complicated affair for Twilight Stags, as the males and females can only meet during the short periods when both sun and moon are in the sky!

Blade Dancer

There are several forms of Battle Dance. Mastering one of them is already a great achievement.

Blade Master

Remember what I was saying about the different forms of Battle Dance? Well these Elves have mastered several of them.

Once again, I shall do my best to share some information on the soldiers and creatures forming the core of the armies of Irollan. Please, concentrate on this dream shard. It should send images of these units directly in your mind.

Hunter

It may come as a surprise, but no, Elves are not vegetarians. Although many Druids choose to be.

Master Hunter

The Master Hunter receives his title during a special ceremony, in which an elder Treant offers the Elf one of his branches to be carved into a bow. The Master Hunter uses this bow until his death, and is buried with it.

Dryad

Dryads can sing trees into shape to create tools, weapons and even buildings for their Elven relatives. A chorus of Dryads can form an ancient tree into the foundations of an Elven city.

Oak Dryad

As Dryads are spirits, it is very hard to destroy them for good. Like Nature itself, I suppose…

Pixie

It is important to distinguish between Pixies born from wildflowers and those from gardens. The former are rough and solitary and tend to die quickly if they are captured or domesticated.

Sprite

Sprites are closely tied to the turning of the seasons; they are rare in winter and relatively numerous in spring and summer.

The time has now come and even if it is difficult to close this chapter, this is only the beginning of your journey with MMH7!

Today we would like to thank you all for your participation to the beta. We hope you had a great time discovering the game!
We were able to witness your commitment to the M&M franchise during this beta, as well as your expertise in this domain! Of course, every player has his vision of what the best Heroes experience would be, but thanks to your amazing level of feedback, we will do our best to provide a great gaming experience when we release!

Today, we’re happy to take this opportunity to share with you our planning for the upcoming months.

Debugging:

First of all, it is important to know that right now, the project is entering a new phase where developers will no longer add new features but focus on fixing and debugging existing ones. Of course the Beta did not offer all the options you know about (simturn, map editor etc.) but we have today all the elements at our disposal to offer great Heroes gameplay. This will only be possible with an important focus on fixing and improving. We will not make concessions and will tackle all the remaining issues of the game: AI, performance, bugs, missing/wrong information, balancing (cf. next part for more information).

After months and months of core development, this beta was also the opportunity for us to provide a version of the game to all our testers and quality control teams. They also helped us to identify various issues, some of them crossing with your feedback.

We managed in a single week to fix 115 issues while keeping development at the core of our objective, so we will be able to be even more efficient in the upcoming months :) We have at the moment a bit more than 1K unique issues (ranging from really small ones such as typos: missing tooltips etc. - to major ones: crashes, performance, AI etc.) in our database (including your feedback of course). We are confident about the release in September and not only because it is what we announced as release date :)

In addition to giving you the opportunity to test the game in exclusivity, this beta was also for us a life-fire exercise to ensure a smoother release by anticipating compatibility issues and identifying workarounds. The use of the Unreal Engine and better development tools will allow us to provide an improved release version over previous instalment but also much better support in the future.

Fear not Councillors, we won’t subject you to news about debugging every day until the release ;) Our team will work on debugging because this is just what we have to do. We have great content to share and it will start no later than next week!

In the meantime, our game content creators will continue to polish the existing maps but also keep you apprised on the map front until release (campaigns, skirmish, combat maps etc.). We are looking forward to showing you more of them and giving you a glimpse of MMH7’s true variety.

Balancing:

Balancing is a long process, especially in a game like Heroes where it is a key feature of the experience. This is a top priority for us and for the final game .Contrary to Heroes VI, we have powerful and flexible tools to help us balance the game.

As for the global development of the game, our main objective until the beginning of this month was to setup the different elements and then concentrate our efforts on fixing, tweaking and improving on our elements.

It is more than obvious but of course the best way to ensure balancing is done right is to play the game again and again… It is important to keep in mind that everybody can disagree with balancing based on his own preferences and playstyle and thateach ability by its own can appear weak or overpowered. However,it is always the entire system that needs to be taken into account and this can only be done through intense play sessions.

During this beta we received a great number of feedback, especially in terms of balancing, so we thought you deserved to know how we will process them.

Step1: We will extract all balancing feedback involving bugs or broken features in order to have them treated directlyby the development team. This can also be related to missing tooltips or confusing information.

Step 2: We will then study all reported value issues (spells, skills, resource cost etc.) and suggest several alternatives while keeping in mind the whole gameplay aspect.

Step 3: If some elements are still not fixed with the previous steps, we will verify if those elements don’t fit the gameand possible solutions for these.

Step 4: To finish, we will implement everything and test the entire balancing issues directly in the game and reiterate the previous steps as much as we need until we reach a satisfying result.

Here is an example of the tools we are using for creature and building balancing:

“Heroes of Necropolis command armies of undead creatures, the animated corpses of the enemies they defeated on the battlefield. Although those soldiers are mostly sword fodder, their ranks seem to be growing endlessly.”

Necromancy in MMH7 takes into account all fallen creatures of the battlefield, disregarding the original owner of them: “Asha uses all”.

As always, skill effects are cumulative and all values are subject to balancing until the very end of the development.

Abilities:

In the meantime, we also confirm that the reveal of Sylvan will start before the ending of the month so stay tuned!
]]>
557f0b8b6b3bb75c74469e94http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/skills-necromancy
Mon, 15 Jun 2015 19:29:47 +0200Game mechanicsStronghold’s Hall of Heroes
Today, we wanted to share with you the portraits, bios and specializations of some of the Stronghold Heroes you’ll be able to hire in the Hall of Heroes in skirmish or multiplayer maps.

While they are not the main characters of the campaigns, some of these characters might play a role in the stories. Longtime Heroes fans might also recognize some familiar faces :)

YOG

Race: Half-Djinn

Affinity: Might

Class: Barbarian

Specialization: Cyclops Befriender (Increases the production of Cyclopes and Enraged Cyclopes by X/week in the Area of Control.)

Biography:The blue-skinned Yog is neither Man nor Orc nor Beast. Born to powerful Wizards of House Anima, the infant was fused with the essence of a Djinn at birth. His parents hoped it would make their son the greatest Wizard that ever lived. But the Dragons have a wicked sense of humour, and the fusion with the magical being had the opposite effect: Yog showed an uncanny ineptitude for all things related to magic. Rejected by his parents, ostracized by the Wizards, Yog eventually abandoned his birth name and found a new family among the Orcs and Beastmen.

ISHI

Race: Orc

Affinity: Magic

Class: Earth Shaper

Specialization: Master of Earth (Increases Magic by X when casting spells of the magic school of Earth.)

Biography:The twins Anga and Ishi share similar features but very different characters, Ishi being the wisest and most reserved of the two. She never acts on impulse and tries to act as a mediator to solve the conflicts regularly arising within the tribe. Since she has started walking the path of the Shaman, Ishi has developed a strong bond with Mother Earth, one of the guardian spirits of the Orcs. Because of it, she is sometimes known as the "Earth Daughter".

DRAKON

Race: Gnoll

Affinity: Might

Class: Chieftain

Specialization: Gnoll Chieftain (Increases the production of Gnolls and Gnoll Hunters by X/week in the Area of Control.)

Biography:Wizards often joke that when the mages of House Chimera were distributing qualities to their Beastmen creations, Gnolls were probably hiding somewhere. Drakon is the living proof it is not the case. Wily and charismatic, Drakon didn't only prove to be a skilled warrior but also a reliable commander of armies. As a result, the other Gnolls are practically volunteering to fight for him.

ANGA

Race: Orc

Affinity: Magic

Class: Stormcaller

Specialization: Master of Air (Increases Magic by X when casting spells of the magic school of Air.)

Biography:The twins Anga and Ishi share similar features but very different characters. Anga is the most feisty and outspoken of the two, and is as quick to anger as she is quick to forget past offenses -- her own included. Since she has started walking the path of the Shaman, she found a strong affinity for Father Sky, one of the guardian spirits of the Orcs. As a result, she is sometimes known as the "Sky Daughter" among her tribe.

We would like to thank you again for your commitment during this beta phase. We will continue to track all bugs down until the release and improve the experience especially on AI aspects (currently our top priority).

As some of you can guess, I have been rather busy these last few days. However, let me reassure you: I haven’t forgotten this council, nor do I intend to shy away from the tales you’ve asked me to relate.

Many opinions were shared, and many suggestions were given. As of now, I’ve chosen the following three topics for my next tales:

Information about the Nagas, and how some members of this serpentine race were incorporated into the Lotus Empire.

The story of the Griffin family, from the days of Ishtvan, first Duke of Griffin, to his descendant Ivan.

The tale of Sandro, the infamous Netherlord. Always a popular bogeyman in fireside tales…

Many of you have asked information about someone named “Raelag”, but I must confess I have no idea who this person is supposed to be. The name does ring a bell, though… where did I hear it before? It’s like a shadow in the corner of my mind. Intriguing… and very frustrating.

Today we are pleased to share with you a new gameplay video of the title featuring Haven faction. Discover in this video a new skirmish map exploration but also for non-veteran players a small introduction/tutorial to Heroes gameplay! (English subtitles are available directly on video options)

Important information about this video: present game footage is based on an older version of the game than the one of the current Beta. Due to several technical reasons we had to delay this video several times and result may no longer represent current quality of the game. We would also like to thank you all for your patience concerning this faction video that was announced quite a long time ago now.

Since some of you already had the opportunity to see a first version of this video in the nature (to our great disappointment), we also decided to present something new to everybody and added 3 exclusive screenshots from the underground of first Necropolis campaign map. Don’t worry we do not forget about the Vampire and the Lich, we are also looking forward their reveal time :)

It been almost two days since the beginning of the beta and we would like to thank you all for the great amount of feedback we already received. The weekend is coming and we know that some of you were waiting for this opportunity to spend more time on the game.

Thus, we decided to create this new article to gather main information and links about this beta.

Please check this list first if you have any questions or concerns, you might find some of your answers :)

b) Can't find my game

If you pre-ordered the game from Steam, the beta should available as a second entry in your game library.
Activate a game on Steam

For all other retailers, you will need to download Uplay Launcher and be sure to login with the Uplay account you used to buy the game or redeem the code.
Activate a game on Uplay.

It may happen that if the game is activated but is not available on your Uplay library you will have to reinstall Uplay launcher. If you have difficulties finding the game in your library please contact our
customer support.

c) I have a question/issue about my key

If you have any concerns regarding your pre-order key and previous points were not able to help you, we recommend you to directly contact our
Customer Support and explain them your situation.

2. Extra keys

a) I can't find my extra-key

If you haven't received your key or if you were unable to connect to the game on Wednesday, you can still claim this extra key at any time during the beta by contacting our
Customer Support team.

Be sure to check the email associated with the Uplay account you used to pre-order the game. It might also end up in a spam/junk folder, so check there as well. For customers in NCSA, be on the lookout for an email with the subject line, [General] Compensation Key.

b) How to redeem extra-key

If you
pre-ordered the game through Uplay, the key will need to be redeemed directly in the Uplay Launcher (not through this website). You can read our FAQ on how to do this, here: How Do I Register a New Game in Uplay?

If you
pre-ordered the game through Steam, the key will need to be redeemed in the Steam client. Information on how to do this is provided, here: Activating a Product on Steam.

3. Bug report

a) Where can I find known issue list?

We are tracking all the bugs we are receiving and will update on a regular basis this
Known Issues list. Of course this one do not include all reported bugs at the moment but are the main ones we were able to identify. Please check this thread first, you might find precious information. If you are experiencing issues not included here, please refer to following point (b).

b) How to report bugs and issues?

(Don’t forget to check
Known Issues thread first) If you want to share your feedback about the game or bugs, we recommend you to check this forum thread first for more details about our bug acknowledgment process. This will help us to ensure that testers have all the necessary information to reproduce your issues and provide a potential workaround and fixes.

c) I need help with the beta (technical, how to etc.)

If you are experiencing issues with the beta we recommend you to join dedicated forum so our expert will be able to help you. Do not hesitate in the meantime to open a ticket on our
Customer Support.

d) I'm unable to post on Beta forums or use Beta feedback form on the website

Finally we want to remind you that this version is a Beta access and various elements of the game are not final. Indeed, we will definitively put the stress in the remaining few months on solving remaining bugs and balancing issues. We can understand that from some of you September can appear really close but we are on target and will continue to do our best. We hope that despite encountered bugs or performance issues you have a great gameplay experience with the game so far (despite some tweaks to come and balancing of course).
:)

Thank you again for the great quality of your feedback, those are really helpful for our team and we will make sure to make a good use of them!

The time has finally come Councillors.
Starting right now, you’ll be able to test the game for the first time and get a glimpse of the MMH7 experience!

Join the Beta and be the first to enjoy both Haven and Academy factions with their complete line-ups through two playable skirmish maps. In solo or multiplayer, you will also have the opportunity to discover the eagerly awaited Random Skills feature.

For more information about Beta content, join us on the
dedicated forum or check out our Twitch session with the devs.
During this Beta phase, activity on the website will be reduced in order to give priority to Beta management and provide feedback to players.

Please keep in mind that the game is still in development and this Beta will be of great use for our team to identify areas of improvements thanks to your feedback.

If you have any questions or comments you would like to share, we recommend you join the official
Beta forums. You can also use the dedicated form here to submit your bugs directly to the team.

Since last week and during the whole weekend, our team did their best in order to improve the build and implement hot fixes for major issues, that could have tainted your gameplay experience of MMH7’s Beta (more information
here).

We did some great progress over the last few days and today we have the pleasure to come back to you with an important update…

Might & Magic Heroes VII’s Closed Beta will be available tomorrow (June 3rd) at 2pm CEST and will last until Wednesday 17th 2pm CEST!

To thank you for your support during this difficult time, we also decided to offer an extra beta key to every player who pre-ordered the title. Enjoy sharing this with a friend! To claim this key, you just need to login to your Uplay account on June 3rd (on the website or directly on the uPlay launcher) before Midnight CEST. An email will be sent to you on Thursday with your extra key. If you don’t receive your key or aren’t able to connect on Wednesday, you can still claim this extra key at any time during the beta from our Customer Support service.

Everything is set, we are now waiting for you, Heroes and are looking forward to your feedback tomorrow!

Discover today the last remaining 3 skills of MMH7 you will be able to discover in the upcoming Beta: Light & Water Magic Schools and Academy’s Faction skill Metamagic!

In the meantime, our team continue to work on the bug fixes and we will get back to you next week for more information. Stay tuned!

Light Magic

Light Magic comes from Elrath and is linked to ideals of Truth, Justice, and Perfection. Light shines on the virtuous but blinds and burns the impious. It can heal its servants, and even bring them back to life, protect them against various kinds of curses, and pierce through illusions and stealth.

Spells

Abilities

Water Magic

Water Magic comes from Shalassa and is linked to its various aspects (oceans, lakes, brooks, springs, rain, mist, steam, snow, ice, blood and tears…) but also to the emotions, the intuition, the creativity and empathy. Water magic renders the body and the mind as malleable as a liquid. It can conjure dream visions, trigger violent emotions, but can also drown armies of enemies in tidal waves, or freeze them to death in raging blizzards.

Spells

Abilities

Metamagic

Metamagic is Academy's Faction Skill, as always all skill effects are cumulative.
"The wizards’ mastery of magic allows them to trigger synergies between spells to unleash even more power and destruction on the battlefield."

Reaching Novice level of Metamagic enable the use of Magic Synergy effect:

Novice - Casting a single target hero spell on a creature under a magic effect triggers Magic Synergy:

Increase the duration of positive effects on friendly creatures and the duration of negative effects on enemy creatures by 1.

Some of you have been eager to discover more Magic Schools before the end of the week so here we go with 2 of them today: Fire & Prime!

Please note that in the following graphic X might not represent a single number and can be in various cases results of different bonuses or calculations (for instance it can be: X=Damages of the spell from Hero expertise level * Magic value)

Balancing will be handled until the very end of the development and names/icons can be subject to changes.

Fire Magic

Fire Magic comes from Arkath and manifests itself as flames, smoke and ashes. It is also related to the burning passions: desire, courage and anger, lust, recklessness and rage. Fire consumes the weak but gives strength and purpose to the strong.It can create smoke screens and fire shields to protect its allies, or fill them with unyielding determination, but it can also incinerate its enemies with scorching fireballs.

Fire Magic is favoured by the Dwarves, and very popular with the Demons.

Spells

Abilities

Prime Magic

Prime Magic comes from Asha or Urgash, the Primordial Dragons, and is connected to the spiritual substance born from the Void. It can channel the magical energies from the spirit world to the material world (and vice versa), and control the space-time continuum (to preserve or disrupt it). Prime magic can enchant an item (imbue an inert substance with a magical “soul”), animate a Golem or a Skeleton (bind a spirit to a material lifeless form), open a gate between the material and the spiritual world, etc.

Prime Magic is favored by the worshippers of Asha and the followers of Sar-Elam (the Wizards, the Necromancers, the White Weavers, the Blind Brothers, the Silent Sisters, the Dragon Knights) but also by the servants of Urgash (the Warlocks and Demons).

First and foremost we are obviously quite disappointed and frustrated right now. We had a good feeling last week to be able to deploy and release the version and we were quite eager to start the first beta phase. We failed to deliver the beta version on time, even though we tried until the very last moment on Monday. We felt that the least we can do is share the reasons of this with you all.

Here are the issues which stopped us from releasing the version:

1.Out of sync issue in multiplayer

We are still working on so called “out-of-sync” issues in the multiplayer mode. We were confident that we had fixed these, but as a matter of fact one remaining issue is enough to mess up a multiplayer match. Right now we are aware of one issue which causes a desync: If a player levels up and chooses his skill while it is not his turn we have a sync issue and the game doesn´t recover from it. For now we do not know if we have additional out-of-sync moments in the current build but fixing this one is a priority as we need this fix for the long-term stability of multiplayer games.

2. FPS drops

We currently have two different notes about performance drops. We assume for now that it is caused by the GUI. We significantly loose performance after a certain time of playing. Usually we would expect that a save-load would fix this but this particular issue is actually not fixed by a simple save-load and therefore we definitely have something strange going on in the GUI code which we have to fix.

3. Corrupted save games on a big map

A last minute issue is related to the save game behavior. The current version eventually crashes on saving the game if the save game file exceeds a certain size. It does not happen on the smaller of the two maps but it happens frequently on the bigger map. For the moment, the magic number seems to be “5.5 MB” – and as soon as a save exceeds this size the save games seem to become corrupt, ultimately leading to a crash. Even though it is possible to play without saving this is obviously not acceptable and again it´s a fix we have to implement as soon as possible. Especially considering that we have way bigger maps for the full release, it´s something that rather needs to be tackled right now.

What´s next?

When we received confirmation of those issues on Monday, we discussed what would be the best way to deal with it and from the team´s perspective our preference was to postpone until we could fix these these issues or significantly improve them. This was a tough decision but we are confident it was for the best.

We are currently estimating 2 to 3 days to implement the fixes for previously mentioned major issues. After that we have to go through the testing process once again before we can deploy and release the build. In a nutshell as soon as we deliver a build, we transfer it to the testing team who will check if they can approve a build for release or if we have to reiterate.

This process takes some additional time, so to be on a somewhat realistic timing we prefer to assume “next week” for the release. Of course we will as soon as we can confirm a date and won’t reduce the length of this Beta.

In any case, we are deeply sorry and frustrated that we could not stick to our initial timing. We have focused a lot on the core game features and core gameplay lately and underestimated technical topics which had a bigger impact than we expected. Nevertheless, on the positive side we are actually glad that quality assurance found them and they were a great help reproducing these issues which makes fixing easier. Long story short, we are now working hard to deliver a new build as soon as these are fixed and start the release process once more.

We already made some great improvements regarding save issues for instance which we consider also as crucial. Indeed, we know that unfortunately we might not be able to reduce desync risks to 0% for the Beta (since it will also be linked to your internet connection stability etc.). However, even if you are disconnected during an online multiplayer game, it is mandatory for us that you can directly reload the save and start playing again.

Rest assured we are more committed than ever to provide you the best experience with both MMH7 Beta and the final game. We will keep you informed about our progress and share more insights as soon as possible.

Thanks for your understanding and we all hope you accept our apologies!
The Development Team

Despite this announcement, we received a lot of support messages from many of you and we would like to, first of all, take the time to thank you warmly for your understanding and commitment to this franchise.

Today, we come back to share an update on the situation and provide visibility about our next steps.

We are continuously working on this Beta in order to fix the issues identified earlier. We will keep you updated about our progress through this blog. Indeed, we want to provide the best experience possible at every stage of development of your favorite game and we will do our best to solve those issues in the swiftest manner possible.

In the meantime, we’ll postpone the Beta to next week and confirm the exact date next week as well.
Rest assured, your time in Ashan will not suffer from this, as the Beta will still be open for two full weeks.

We believe these measures will enable us to provide you with a great experience for the upcoming Beta.

We have heartbreaking news to announce today. Despite our best efforts, we won’t be able to launch the Beta as originally planned.

This statement will probably be as devastating for you as it is for us and we would thus like to share with you some information about this situation in the most transparent way possible.

Last week, we identified several issues that were really threatening our release: the save/load system had a tendency to corrupt saves under certain conditions; multiplayer was still riddled with desyncs; and finally, we had a very particularly worrisome memory leak issue which halved the performances after an hour or so of gameplay.

We pushed really hard to solve those issues, including this very week-end. We would like by the way to thank both Limbic and our testers for the overtime they put into this release.

Unfortunately, and despite our best efforts, we could not completely resolve these issues, and today our testers had to let us know that if we had gone forward with making this build available, our players would have faced a very degraded experience.

You might wonder why we held off until the very last moment to announce this decision. The reason is really simple: we had already worked on those issues but unfortunately didn’t reach the quality we were aiming for. In the meantime, we spent a lot of time discussing whether we should release the current build despite its flaws or not.

Since we know you value (rightfully so!) quality, bug-free and kick-ass releases over broken software, we followed our testers’ advice and decided to call it a day, despite a heavy heart and a broken promise to you.

We are already hard at work on our next version. We want to seize this opportunity to present you with a release that showcases the quality and potential of Heroes 7. And we hope you will enjoy this game as much as we are enjoying developing it. Well... except for tonight :)

Now our immediate next steps are solving those three big issues and releasing our Beta as swiftly as possible. We will keep you posted with further announcements very soon.

We thank you again for the humbling show of patience and understanding you’ve made on the forums and will make it up to you. Heroes 7 is truly a special title for us and we want it to be a worthy successor to your favorite series.

As you may know, MMH7 Beta is coming very close and we are currently in the final straight of the development of this build. Our devs will continue to reiterate to provide you the best experience possible on Monday.

There are still a lot to be discussed on this website and it will be particularly exciting to discuss with you all about the Beta. Dedicated forums will be opened to give you the opportunity to discover the full content of the beta and room for feedback sharing.

We are looking forward sharing our passion with you all on Monday!

See you soon Heroes!

In case you missed them, have a look to the new Beta Trailer and check out our yesterday’s Live stream!

Thank you very much for joining us, it has been a while since last stream and we hope we will be able to do more of them in the near future.
In the meantime, we updated the Beta page to provide you more information about it and answer some burning questions with a dedicated FAQ.

On Monday, beta-dedicated forums will be opened to give you the opportunity to have access to all latest information and directly share your feedback.

]]>
555e0afd6b3bb7d344c67f5ehttp://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/mmh7-beta-twitch-session
Thu, 21 May 2015 18:42:37 +0200CommunityArtefacts in MMH7For a while now many of you have been asking for more information regarding the topic of the Artefacts in MMH7. Since you will be able to discover some of them in the upcoming Beta, let's have a look to a first selection of them!

Concerning Artefacts sets:

Some major sets are composed of up to 5 unique artefacts and each of them granting additional bonuses when cumulating.

Some other artefacts belongs to "families". When two artefacts of the same family are associated, they also provide additional bonuses but which cannot be cumulated over 2 items.

Bonuses & values of those artifects are still work in progress and will be balanced until the very end of the development.

Warfare

Today let’s discover not one but two Magic Schools with the presentation of Earth Magic & Dark Magic!

Please note that in the following graphic X might not represent a single number and can be in various cases results of different bonuses or calculations (for instance it can be: X=Damages of the spell from Hero expertise level * Magic value)

Balancing will be handled until the very end of the development and names/icons can be subject to changes.

Earth Magic

Earth Magic comes from Sylanna and governs the mineral, vegetal and animal kingdoms, involving stone, dust, soil, wood and flesh, but also the feral instincts and the five senses. It is the path that leads to perfect harmony with Nature. It can heal and regenerate what is wounded or weakened, improve the stamina or heighten the senses, remove toxins, poisons, and diseases, but also unleash the powers of nature to turn trees into mighty warriors, or cause earthquakes.

Earth Magic is favoured by the Elves, and very popular with the Orcs.

Spells

Abilities

Dark Magic

Dark Magic comes from Malassa and is related to the mysterious, unfathomable shadows, to the subconscious mind, and to the lethargic, and sometimes lethal, powers of sleep, fatigue and coma.

Darkness hides and shelters its followers but weakens its enemies and feeds them with intangible horrors or disruptive delusion. It can wrap allies in shadows to help them disappear from view, drain the life force of enemies until they fall unconscious, or conjure their worst nightmares in their mind until they flee in terror or become catatonic.

Dark Magic is favoured by the Faceless and the Dark Elves, and very popular within the Necromancers.

Beta approaching very fast we wanting to give you more information not only about the content of the game itself but also the different options you will be able to manage in order to create your own MMH7 experience.

Even if it is only a beta, it was important for us to use this opportunity to anticipate a maximum in order to provide better support and compatibility until release. That is the reason why you will be able to have already access to almost all options and will have the possibility to tweak them at your convenience.

As you may have seen in our technical Q&A, we already improved beta requirements and will provide as soon as possible a new recommended setup but in all cases, we aim at doing even more improvements so your feedback will be particularly precious.

We hope this first introduction will help you to better understand the main elements of this menu and we will come back with more details during the beta.

VIDEO

Anti-Aliasing: Reduces the sharpness artifacts from the edges of all 3d objects.

GAMEPLAY

Army Presentation Cam: At the beginning of each fight, you will be able to enable/disable a quick flyover of both armies.

Gameplay waits for animations: The game will wait until the end of each animations before enabling following action.

Coolcam Chance: 0 - 100% chance to have a coolcam event on triggers.

]]>
555386486b3bb7e03112b93fhttp://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/mmh7-option-menu
Wed, 13 May 2015 19:13:44 +0200Technical topicSkills: Economy & Paragon
A few weeks ago we introduced the Skill of Destiny, the first of the 3 Neutral skills in MMH7. Today, we are glad to complete this list with: Paragon & Economy!

Those two skills can be particularly interesting while developing your army or your town. Indeed, for each new unlocked rank:

Paragon will increase the hero’s experience gain

Economy will increase daily income

Raw power isn’t necessary the best option to obtain victory and the following abilities should confirm this reality in MMH7.

As always, the skill effects are cumulative and balancing will be handled until the very end of the project (including beta feedback).

PARAGON

ECONOMY

Today we wanted to share with you an update regarding the townscreen interface in MMH7.

Indeed, some of you were willing to know more about what was behind those buttons and what was the purpose of some of them.

Interface elements are today 100% functional but we will improve the design & icons of some of them before the release of the title.

The Townscreen

Where it all begins

Construct Buildings

Here we have the town tree where you can see the connections between the different buildings (a bit rough at the moment). On the left side, you can also see the level of your town and the "destroy" level button.

Recruit new creatures

This window will allow you to recruit creatures but also order caravans from other towns.

Let's see this in action! (in a really really small map for test purpose)

Recruit warfare units

In this window, you will be able to buy warfare units to reinforce your army for the battle.

Hire new heroes

Trade resources

Magic Guild

Thieves Guild

(This spy is not really greedy)

Unload Caravans

Fortifications

Recycle Artifacts

On this window, Academy Heroes can recycle Artifacts to obtain some resources out of it.

Inscriber

This Academy specific building allows your Hero to buy scrolls.

Since we are talking about UI, have a look to our progress regarding skillwheel layout:

Offense

With each skill rank you unlock, you will be granted X Offense points

Defense

With each skill rank you unlock, you will be granted X Defense points

Diplomacy

With each skill rank you unlock, you chance for successful negotiations with neutral armies will be improved by X%.
]]>
5548ffb66b3bb71c13f04c30http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/skills-offense-defense-diplomacy
Tue, 05 May 2015 19:36:54 +0200Game mechanicsSkills: Righteousness
In MMH7, all factions will have their specific trait and skills, allowing to make the best of their uniqueness.

Haven for instance will be a faction with high moral bonuses thanks to their faction skill, Righteousness:

“Thanks to their faith and team spirit, the armies of the Holy Empire have impressive morale, which becomes a powerful asset in battle, where they seem to strike twice as much as their opponents." Unlocking a new rank (Novice, Expert & Master) will provide moral bonuses to all units when a friendly creature has good morale.

(re)Discover the vast universe of M&M with its pillars of the RPG genre, acclaimed Turn Based Strategy Titles and exciting original Gaming Experiences for the very best price – your price.

Humble Bundle is a "pay what you want"- system composed of 3 tiers.

Pay $1 or more for

Heroes of Might & Magic II: Gold Edition,

Heroes of Might & Magic IV: Complete Edition,

the Might & Magic 1 to 6 Collection,

and Might & Magic Heroes Online - Angel Starter Pack!

Pay more than the average price, and you also get

Heroes of Might & Magic V,

Might & Magic Heroes VI - Gold Edition,

Dark Messiah of Might & Magic,

and Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes + I Am the Boss DLC.

Pay $15 or more, and you get all of that plus

Might & Magic X Legacy,

Heroes of Might & Magic 3 - HD Edition,

Might & Magic X Legacy + The Falcon & The Unicorn DLC,

Might & Magic Heroes VI - Shades of Darkness,

and Might & Magic Duel of Champions – Starter Pack.

You can also choose where the money you pay goes -- between the developers and three charitable causes (Doctors Without Borders, American Red Cross, and charity: water).

Do not wait any longer and complete your M&M collection while helping great causes!
]]>
554101a8ca0177a934122ae3http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/humble-might-magic-bundle-time-is-running-out
Wed, 29 Apr 2015 18:07:04 +0200General discussionNecropolis’ Hall of Heroes
Today, we wanted to share with you the portraits, bios and specializations of some of the Necropolis Heroes you’ll be able to hire in the Hall of Heroes in skirmish or multiplayer maps. While they are not the main characters of the campaigns, some of these characters might play a role in the stories. Longtime Heroes fans might also recognize some familiar faces :)

Keep in mind all of this is still work in progress, especially the class attributions and specializations.

MERIKH

Biography:Once a Sherif of the Seven Cities, Merikh remained a stern agent of the law after being turned into an Undead by Archon Belketh himself. It was Merikh who presided over the trial of the nefarious Nethermancer Sandro, banishing him from the Wizard lands. When Sandro returned, some sixty years later, he had not forgotten Merikh's role in his exile, and perpetrated his revenge by trapping his soul within a ghoul's body. It took Belketh several years and a great amount of power to track down the creature and salvage Merikh's essence, binding it to a more appropriate vessel: a black suit of armour. Relentless, unbendable and incorruptible, Merikh has become a terrifying embodiment of Justice.

LYLA

Race: VampireAffinity: MagicClass: ArchonSpecialization: Master of Prime (Increases Magic by X when casting spells of the magic school of Prime.)

Biography:One of the oldest Vampires, Lyla is part of the second generation of Belketh's students, walking in the footsteps of such legendary -- or controversial -- figures as Lord Vein or Sandro. Renowned for her red hair, quite rare in the Seven Cities, Lyla was never much interested in theology and left Al-Betyl when the Spider Cult became a dominant faction among the Necromancers. Her motivation is knowledge, something she'd rather seek in solitude, surrounded only by her Undead servants and ghostly familiars.

ZOLTAN

Race: VampireAffinity: MagicClass: NecromancerSpecialization: Spider Tamer (Increases the production of Ebon Spiders and Death Spiders by X/week in the Area of Control.)

Biography:Personal steward to Archon Belketh himself, Zoltan is one of the many Undead leaders who view Wizards as their true enemies. To better know them, Zoltan studied deeply the arcane magic of the Silver Cities, looking for ways to combine them with his own Necromantic abilities. But his real passion is spiders, which he sees as embodiments of Asha's perfection.

CHARNA

Race: HumanAffinity: MightClass: Death KnightSpecialization: Ghost Caller (Increases the production of Ghosts and Banshees by X/week in the Area of Control.)

Biography:Cold and unrelenting, Charna is believed by many to be Undead -- but wrongly so. Some say she was born with a black heart, others than all her emotions have been erased by Void magic. What is certain is that she has never felt compassion for another creature, and love is a myth as far as she is concerned. So, free of a conscience, she has been able to do things that even Demons would balk at.

Since its introduction on this platform, many concerns and questions arose on the topic of the skillwheel. As previously mentioned, we decided to maintain current mechanism for Heroes VII but also wanted to share a statement regarding this feature to give you more visibility on this decision.

We had the opportunity to gather more information from the team and ask them to answer some of your feedback.

The concept:

The first big idea with this skillwheel is to provide players the possibility to plan the development of his heroes on the long term, while offering ways to specialize in certain areas of the gameplay. This is why the primary system does not involve randomness, since it would force the player to deal with random constraints in the balancing of his hero.

The other main idea is to allow the player to grasp the possibilities of a hero by looking at a single screen. Major and Minor skills are visible at a glance to measure the strengths of the hero class.

We have a feeling that some people truly believe that more complexity and constraints in a system makes it better, however, we don’t share this belief.

Now to answer a few questions from you:

1. On the system being too restrictive to let you build a hero from a pool of possible skills:

First of all, our reference games (HIII, HV) never provided such freedom. This is not a RPG, hero classes are provided with each their selection of skills, which define what a class is. We don’t want freeform heroes and spellcasting barbarians.

2. On randomness within the skillwheel system:

It’s very simple and similar to Heroes V. Each time a level is acquired, the player is proposed to choose an upgrade between two skill ranks and two abilities, within the available ones at this moment. Like in HV, once 5 (to be confirmed) skills are used, the remaining choices will always be part of those 5 skills, to ensure that no skill is left with too few points to be useful. Players have the freedom to make a choice within a range of random choices. For those who doubt that this will make a difference in the game experience, we can assure it definitely does.

3. On prerequisites:

To acquire a skill rank (except for Novice), you need to have unlocked the previous one and at least one ability of the previous one. This forbids to reach the most powerful ability of a skill without investing anything in lower ranks. It’s a system like any other. We discussed forcing to unlock ALL abilities of a skill rank to reach the next one and discarded it, since you would have needed too many points to reach top rank. We also discussed linking abilities together like in HV but decided this was a too strong restriction that led to strongly similar ability setups to reach certain abilities, and therefore restricted the player’s freedom too much.

4. On so-called ultimates:

We call them grandmaster abilities, because they’re not ultimates. Please remember that all numbers are subject to balancing. Grandmaster abilities are supposed to be desirable and great but shouldn’t be game-winners. Of course, it’s logical that players would set themselves as an objective to unlock these, as they are the most powerful abilities, but this should not make all other decision secondary. So, the only restriction is to reach them using the regular rules, which means 6 to 8 levels investing only on that skill, depending on the starting rank of the hero.

5. On hero classes and skills:

Yes, a hero class is defined by a fixed skillwheel. It’s a set of possible skills, which is a logical design. A Knight can always have offense, he can never have dark magic, that’s what defines a knight in Ashan. Each faction has 6 classes, half of them magic heroes, the other half might heroes. In all non-story driven game mode, you can choose your faction and your class, according to the skills you want to play with.

6. On Major and Minor skills:

It’s very simple. Major means you have access to Master rank. Minor means you are limited to Expert rank. Among Major skills, only 3 have a Grandmaster ability. For all hero classes, the faction skill (necromancy for Necropolis) is a Major skill with Grandmaster ability. There are no other faction specific perk.

7. On starting skills:

Yes, each hero has a starting skill rank (no ability), and possibly another if that is his specialization provides.

8. On the comparison with Heroes V:

First of all let’s remember that in Heroes V, originally (before modding), there was no skillwheel and players had to post-rationalize everything to get a clue of how it was working, otherwise you blindly chose skills and abilities according to the moment’s judgment. Also, you could unlock skills by visiting buildings, which could occasionally ruin your plans. Save/Load strategies to avoid that are not unheard of. We believe that means that the design is flawed.

On the same topic, providing the possibility to reset the whole hero by paying gold in a special building is also a dirty fix to a flawed system. Cross skill restriction and cross ability restrictions are just more constraints to the player’s control over his hero’s development, it’s arguably a design quality per se. Some advocate that they like more constraints and difficulty, less control, that’s a purely subjective opinion and we know there is no consensus here, we prefer to give players control over their hero’s development.

9. On the comparison with Heroes VI:

It’s definitely not the same. Yes, the magic schools are the same. Yes, it’s a player-controlled system. Heroes VI had ability tiers, limited by level, which allowed to stack points to unlock multiple high-tier abilities without spending in low tier. Heroes VI have ability “lines” within the same skills, some being constrainted by linear unlock, some not, some tier were not populated, so it was much less systemic than Heroes VII.

10. On the number of skills and abilities:

This is an endless debate. Every player can come up with their own perfect number, we don’t believe there is a perfect answer to please anyone. Each game has different number of skills and abilities and we don’t believe that affect quality directly.

11. On the naming of some abilities:

Some names in the skillwheel still are work in progress and will be modified before the release of the game. For instance, Air Magic abilities such as Master of Air I, II & will be renamed to ensure they will not be confused with linked or pre-requisite.
]]>
553e76436b3bb7225309c8fehttp://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/skillwheel-the-design-philosophy
Mon, 27 Apr 2015 19:47:47 +0200Game mechanicsHeroes VII now available for pre-orders!
The time has come Councillors,

Since Gamescom 2014, you showed in this platform an intense engagement towards this franchise through your feedback and participation to crucial votes to determine game content.

After several months plotting in the darkness and influencing his fate, join now the cause of Ivan and his great quest for justice!

Starting today, you will be able to pre-order Might & Magic Heroes VII and secure your access to upcoming Closed Beta!

All players who pre-order the game will receive guaranteed access to the Closed Beta, which will begin on May 25th, as well as exclusive in-game portraits and exclusive Artefacts at release.

Might & Magic Heroes VII will be available exclusively on Windows® PC in September 2015!

Suddenly ice and lightning were raining on the Stag and Greyhound soldiers, causing great confusion across their ranks. As the mysterious blue bird guided Kente and Ivan to safety, it became apparent the delegation from the Silver Cities – or at least part of it – had decided to turn against Seamus.

Tales of the Ten Years War

852 YSD – The Griffin’s Resolve

The Long Road Home

Following the bird allowed Kente and Ivan to regroup with the dissident Wizard forces, which, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise, were led by lady Tanis. The unity of the Silver League had fractured on the question of an alliance with Seamus, and Tanis had managed to convince several of her Wizard colleagues to side with Ivan instead.

Yet she had not sent the bird to Ivan – the bird had actually come to her. The creature was ancient and powerful, a Spirit more than an animal, and it had delivered a message to Tanis. Bluebeak, as it called itself, had urged the Wizards to come to Ivan’s aid, as without their intervention he would meet his doom at Meadowfair.

Bluebeak

Who could have sent this bird to Tanis? This answer was obvious to me, of course, as I had already encountered Bluebeak in the past, and had fond memories of its mistress. I had heard she had disappeared during the Purge of the Necromancers, but she had always been smart and resourceful. I had no problem imagining her finding ways to cover her tracks, even from the likes of me.

I shared my suspicions with the Duke on our way back to Talonguard. He nodded absently, his mind aggravated by something else. Around us, it was all burnt villages and devastated fields; mass graves, famine, plagues, decimated families. Ivan’s defeat at Meadowfair had scarred his face but opened his eyes. He had been focusing on winning the war for so long, it had all become abstract to him. Now he was seeing the toll the war had been taking, and who had paid it in full.

Strange Bedfellows

As I had surmised, Anastasya Griffin was waiting for us at Talonguard. I had not seen her in three centuries, but she had not changed at all – although her eyes were colder that I remembered them.

Of course, I had to explain to Ivan some chapters from the secret history of his family, and of the incredible fates of his ancestors, Duke Slava’s children. If you wish, I can recount their stories for you as well, my fellow Shadow Councillors, you only have to ask. Although that would be a tale for another time.

Throughout history, a few members of the Griffin line had left the Empire to walk… different paths. Like her great-aunt Sveltana, Anastasya had become a member of the Spider Cult, a Necromancer. But she was still loyal to her name, and had come out of exile to help its current bearer. She had sent Bluebeak, her familiar, to Tanis, knowing she was her best bet to save Ivan at Meadowfair.

But it rapidly became obvious there while there was some begrudging respect between the Wizard and the Necromancer, there would never be neither friendship nor trust. The horrors of the Purge and of the War of the Broken Staff were still too young. As for Kente, well, he was wary of all Wizards, regardless of the colour of their robe. Needless to say, the halls of Talonguard soon became a rather… lively place.

Ivan however was oblivious of their constant quarrels and incessant bickering. His defeat at Meadowfair, the destruction of Iron Feather and the devastation he had witnessed – and often caused – had all but neutered his fighting spirit. The war was still raging on beyond Talonguard’s walls, and Ivan was still leading the Griffin-Wolf alliance, but his heart was not into it anymore. The daring commander he had been a few months before was planning his next moves with a sense of fatality, not purpose.

Later that year, the Angel Murazel returned to Talonguard with a man named Bleddyn. He was a Bloodsmith of Hammer Fall, a crafter of enchanted objects. Murazel had asked him to forge a new sword for Ivan, in the hopes of lifting the Duke’s spirits. Bleddyn left a few days later, promising he would be back before the year was done.

Gathering of the Council

As the first snowflakes began to fall on Talonguard, Bleddyn returned. Hearing the news, Anastasya, Kente, Tanis and Murazel all gathered to Ivan’s war room, to see the sword he had forged for the Griffin Lord.

“The secret of Bloodsmithing”, Bleddyn explained, “is to understand that weapons are not just metal, they are living things. They become part of their master’s very being. Iron Feather has accompanied the Griffin family though centuries of war and countless hardships, Duke Ivan. It was a symbol of the Griffins’ indomitable spirit and when it was destroyed, a part of you, of what makes you a Griffin, died with it. Simply giving you a new sword would not help you.”

To get a sense of who Ivan was, and what would make him whole, Bleddyn had used his last visit to talk to everyone that was currently in the room.
From me, he had learnt of Ivan’s tragic past, of what had happened to his father and brother when he was but a child.
From Anastasya, he had learnt the complex tale of the Griffin family.
From Kente, he knew Ivan’s courage and sense of honour.
From Murazel, he knew Ivan’s sense of duty.
And from Tanis, he learnt of Ivan’s… fickle heart.
And so he had given the sword a name, symbolizing what Ivan had lost. He had called it the Griffin’s Resolve.

After Bleddyn the Bloodsmith had left the room, Ivan spent long moments admiring his new blade, but his gaze also drifted to all the people – Angel, Necromancer, Wizard, Orc and Faceless – gathered around the table, around himself. And finally, he spoke:
“
War is ravaging our lands. Brothers fighting against brothers… I need to stop this madness. But I cannot do it alone.”

He took a deep breath.

“
This sword made me understand what I was failing to see before now: that I need you, all of you. You are what I’ve been missing all along. Harsh times require an extraordinary council... like none the world has ever seen. United in purpose, we shall win this war!”

Ivan’s Council was born that day. And it is now up to us, to all of us, to write the final chapter of the Tales of Ten Years War.

Last week we introduced Skillwheel and Warcries mechanisms in the Shadow Council. In the coming weeks we will give you a rendez-vous every week to discover together a new skillwheel path and associated skills or spells.

Today let's start with the Magic School of Air!

Air Magic Spells

Air Magic comes from Ylath and is linked to the winds, clouds and lightning, but also to intelligence and reason as it is the element of Air that governs the rational mind.
This Magic School is favoured by the Humans of the Free Cities, and very popular with the Orcs.

Please note that in the following graphic X might not represent a single number and can be in various cases results of different bonuses or calculations (for instance it can be: X=Damages of the spell from Hero expertise level * Magic value)

Balancing will be handled until the very end of the development.

SKILLWHEEL PROGRESSION:

In order to be able to use the spells from your Magic Guild, your Hero will need to unlock the different levels of progression in the skillwheel. Skills will allow you to improve your mastery and add great bonuses to your spells.

Unfortunately it seems that we made a graphic error on previous article about Warcries: Artillery support is supposed to be a Master rank Skill and Warlord a GrandMaster one (aka Ultimate).

Discover today a new art from Might & Magic Heroes VII, featuring Stronghold Faction and their leader of the campaign mode: Imani.

Like many Orcs, Imani is an orphan of war, her parents having been slain by the Wizards. She chose to stay with warchief Jengo instead of sailing to the Pao Islands with the rest of their people. After losing an eye in a poorly-planned attack, Imani is slowly beginning to realize she made this choice for honour while Jengo is only driven by vengeance... whatever the cost.

Even if most of the legends tells the stories of bloodthirsty warriors, Orcs can also learn from the essence of Magic. Their connection with nature and magic can be strong, allowing some of them to become powerful bounds between Father Sky or Mother Earth.

Faction Skill:

Bloodrage: with or without Demon blood, all Stronghold troops seem to share the Orcs’ fighting spirit. Their eagerness for battle makes them incredibly fast and powerful at the start of a battle.

Discover today the Magic Heroes from Stronghold:

Stormcaller,

Shaman,

Earth Shaper.

Stormcaller

Stormcallers are the worshippers of Father Sky, not only able to propagate the rage of battle in the heart of their troops, they can summon the wrath of their god and strike with the power of lightning, causing devastating damage on the battlefield.

Main skills: Bloodrage, Warfare, Air Magic

Shaman

Shamans are the wisemen of their people, able to reason above the wrath that is their gift and curse, they are educated and one of the best speakers of foreign languages. In battle, though, they can be quite efficient with the magic of Sky and Earth.

Main skills: Bloodrage, Exploration, Paragon

Earth Shaper

Earth Shapers are the children, followers of Mother Earth, protectors of their people. Surprisingly smart, they are the educators and the caretakers of a wandering tribe, but don't be mistaken, when their children is threatened, these heroes can claw and bite as any desert lioness and you won't forget the smiting power of Earth magic once you've met one on the field.

Two weeks ago you discovered the townscreen of the Stronghold faction, dangerous lair hidden in the desert inhabited by tribes of fierce warriors and beasts.

It is now time to explore it in details and explore their nest…

Please keep in mind that all visuals and elements are work in progress and this until the end of the development! This article only focus on main buildings of the townscreen but the game will offer more variety and options in final version so stay tuned!

Click for full size

Dwellings:

Core Creatures

(13) War Pavillon: Allows to recruit Crushers

(23) Fury Roost: Allows to recruit Furies

(20) Gnoll Hunting Shack: Allows to recruit Gnoll Hunters

Elite Creatures

(1) Centaur Outpost: Allows to recruit Centaur Marauders

(2) Wyver Nest: Allows to recruit Venomous Wyverns

(12) Basilisk's No Man's Land: Allows to recruit Basilisk Lancers

Champion Creatures

(16) Pillar of Rage: Allows to recruit Enraged Cyclops

(4) Behemoth Rift: Allows to recruit Ancient Behemoths

Warfare Units

(5) Dream Lodge: Allows to recruit some Warfare Units

??

Buildings:

(non official segmentation :))
Heroes Buildings

(3) Hall of Heroes: Allows to recruit Heroes

(21) Magic Guild: Allows Heroes to learn spells (4 levels)

(7) House of Smalltalks: +X% chance for negotiations with neutral armies inside the town's Area of Control for the player's heroes

(15) Father Sky Totem: Increases the initial Battlerage charges by +X in the Area of Control of the town

(18) Altar of Broken Blades: Visiting heroes get +X Movement Point and +X Might until their next battle

(17) Idol of Fertility: Once a week you can select one town dwelling to instantly add its weekly growth rate as production

(8) Thieves Guild: Provides the town screen window to spy enemies and give overview of the game status

(19) Town Portal: Allows Heroes to be teleported to this town (only if it is the closet town and with dedicated spell

Resources Buildings

(6) Marketplace: Provides the town screen window to trade resources

(14) Deep Mine: Provides one unit of shadowsteel per day.

(9) Hall of Raiders: Produces X gold each time a battle is won.

Fortifications:

Castle: Equips the town with walls and gates in siege combats. Equips the town with level 3 local guards

Proud survivors of a long history of persecution, Stronghold Might Heroes are fierce warriors who will fight until the very end for their freedom.

Discover today the Might Heroes from Stronghold:

Warmonger,

Barbarian,

Chieftain.

Faction Skill:

Bloodrage: with or without Demon blood, all Stronghold troops seem to share the Orcs’ fighting spirit. Their eagerness for battle makes them incredibly fast and powerful at the start of a battle.

Warmonger

Warmongers crave only for battle and blood. Their training, their daily thoughts are turned towards the battlefield. They lead their troops with speed and strength, and are probably the deadliest heroes on Ashan when leading a scarce group of badly equipped warriors.

Main skills: Bloodrage, Warcries, Offense

Barbarian

Barbarians are typical orc heroes, even if some of them are of other races. Their skills are well balanced, although they are mostly battle leaders, relying maybe more on luck that their fellow warmongers and chieftains.

Main skills: Bloodrage, Warcries, Warfare

Chieftain

Chieftains are spirited leaders, often chosen as generals during travels and as rulers when building a new settlement. Their ability to negotiate rather than kill is a rare quality amongst their people, and even if often underestimated, one that has revealed to be critical in their History.

Today we will introduce you the Warcries system in Heroes VII! It seems that many of you had questions about it so we hope this article will help you better understand this mechanic.

General mechanic

Warcries are the counterpart to spells for Might Heroes (and they have the exclusivity for using them). Each skill rank (novice, expert, master) unlocks new Warcries, and abilities improve their efficiency.

Warcries appear in the “spell book” during combats, for practical reasons, but using them does not require any mana.

The objective of Warcries is to provide bonuses to the army of the user during the current turn. Of course, they are consuming the Hero’s action of the turn. That’s why they’re better used early in the turn, to support the player’s strategy.

Only one Warcry can be activate at the same time, if a new one is used, it will directly replace former one.

List of warcries

Might Heroes will be able to use 5 types of Warcries to develop the strength of their armies. Each of them focusing on a particular aspect of your army strategy.

Skillwheel progression:

As for magic skills, you will need to improve your warcries skill in the Skillwheel to be able use more of them and to grant them additional bonus effects. Skill effects are cumulative.

Having powerful spells only is one strategy to access to the victory but Might Heroes do know that their true strength is in the battlefield. A good use of Warcries will allow you to boost required characteristics in any adequate situation.
]]>
5527ec1cca01775d30aa6df4http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/warcries-presentation
Fri, 10 Apr 2015 17:28:28 +0200Game mechanicsThe Skillwheel in MMH7
Hello Councilors,

Today we’ll explain the skill system in Heroes VII. We use the term skillwheel because of the shape of the interface and as a reference to its inspiration, the Heroes V skillwheel, but as you’ll see, it’s different in many ways.

Hero development philosophy

The default skill system in Heroes VII aims at giving the player the control of his hero’s development, so he can shape his abilities to serve his chosen strategy.

Each hero belongs to a class, and a class already defines a general style, but the skillwheel lets you specialize your hero or balance him. Some will think specialization is the way to go, and it might be true if you have a dedicated playstyle, but balance can also be a weapon in a long game. Also, Grandmaster abilities must not be mistaken with Heroes V’s ultimates, they are great abilities, but not game-winning must haves.

The Hero class

As you already know, each hero belongs to a faction and is either a Might or Magic hero. This has the strongest influence on the skillwheel. Amongst these, three classes can be found. One is generally more offensive, one is more defensive, one is more balanced.

The skillwheel

The skillwheel structure allows you to see all the potential of your hero on one screen. You can immediately identify his strengths. We provide the possibility to show all content or only what you have immediately access to, for a clearer view.

Right panel allows you to have a direct access to all details about selected item.

You can also see that 3 of the Major Skills have a fourth “Grandmaster” ability.

To unlock a new skill rank, you must first unlock the previous rank (except for Novice) and unlock at least one ability of the previous rank.

Ready to unlock Blood Rage rank 2! (Show All option: disabled)

Abilities

Abilities are more specialized than skills, they provide the hero with a variety of rule modifiers.

Grandmaster abilities are really great, especially since they stack with previous ones. To unlock a Grandmaster ability, one must simply have already unlock the master ability.

Ability selected: Native Terrain (Explorer: Rank 1)

Skill points

To unlock either a Skill Rank or an Ability, you need to spend a skill point. Each hero level grants you one point to spend. You can stack those points but there is no advantage in doing so in Heroes VII.

Magic skills

Magic skills are critical for heroes since they give access to spells of the same magic school. All basic spells are available to all heroes, but the most powerful ones require to unlock Magic Skills ranks.

The abilities within a Magic Skill improve the power of spells in many different ways.

The Magic Skills accessible to a hero depend mostly on its faction, as you can imagine Haven heroes are Light Magic specialist and forbid the use of Dark Magic, for instance.

Might skills

Might skills are available to all heroes, except for Warcries, which is accessible to Might Heroes only.
They are mostly aimed at making heroes and armies more powerful in battle.

Neutral skills

Those are aimed at making heroes more efficient on the adventure map, for exploration, town development, economy, etc.

Autoskilling

For beginner players, an option to let the game chose skill points spending automatically is provided. Using this system, you ensure the building of a solid, effective hero, at the cost of customization.

Random skills

As you may know, we also provide an optional random skill system. It is close to Heroes V’s system, and provides the player with a small number of choices each time his hero levels up, but still within the structure of the Heroes VII skillwheel.

Hero specialization

In addition to the skillwheel, the same screen lets you check your hero’s specialization (on the left panel).

This skillwheel has been an important topic of discussions since the fanday and we are aware that some elements aren’t as clear as they could be (for instance the fact that you need to unlock ranks and then abilities). We are currently working on an improved visual design of this skillwheel to offer a better understanding of it thanks to the precious feedback we received :)

Work in progress concept (shields everywhere!)

Tomorrow we will come back and illustrate this article with a first Skill as example: the Warcries!

Three weeks ago, some members of this Council joined us for the first M&M Heroes VII Fanday.

Today, we have the great pleasure to give them the floor and share with you all their feedback about this particular event! Many of you have been asking for their feeling about the title, here are their answers!

A big thanks to all our attendees for their passion and for this amazing day again! (& for their answers of course :))

All of those testimonies have been published "as is", representing unaltered feedback from community members. Please keep in mind that they are based on a work in progress version of the title and should not be considered as official information sources.

In this article you might also discover some Councillors that weren’t mentioned here before. Indeed, a second smaller event was also organized in the US to offer the possibility to more fans to discover the game!

Enjoy your reading!

1. Hello Councillors, could you please quickly introduce yourself to this Shadow Council and share your background with the M&M franchise?

BeYo_OnD= Hi, I'm BeYo_OnD, but I'm better known as Stevie, especially on the Heroes Community boards. My first contact with the M&M universe was probably with Heroes 2, but I was so young back then I can't remember much. However, I really enjoyed Heroes 3 and got to play all the other Heroes games that followed. My favorite one is Heroes 5 only because of gameplay, not because of Ashan. My least favorite one is Heroes 6. Unfortunately, I didn't knew about the RPGs so I never got to play any of the old ones, but I gave a try to the newer M&M X - Legacy and I liked it very much. I also played Duel of Champions and Heroes Online for a while.

Roch= I'm Roch, 27 years old, from France. I'm an old player of Heroes of Might and Magic series, since the first. But I was very young… The oldest game of this series which I remember the most is H3, of course! It marked profoundly my personal heroic-fantasy universe and I spent many years on this game. It's my favorite. I have a true love for the H4 too, its fairy-like graphics and its AMAZING OPERA-SONGS soundtrack! The best Heroes of Might and Magic OST! Do you agree with me? I really like H5, and I'm disgusting by H6 for all reasons you know. I love especially beasts or beastmen creatures: Wolves, Gryphon, Gnolls, Cabir, Rakshasas, Dragons, Wyvern..

Socketboy= I am a longtime fan of the series, starting back with Heroes of Might and Magic 2. I had been a fan and re-playing the older games for years, so when I heard that Ubisoft planned to revive the series with Heroes 5, I was ecstatic. I was invited to join the VIP group and have been very humbled and excited to be included in the development processes for Heroes 6 and now Heroes 7 as well.

SlumbrousShip5= My shadow council name is SlumbrousShip5 (randomly generated name) and I have been playing Heroes of might and magic since I was in the first grade, about 15 years ago. I am a huge fan of the old games. My first purchase was the Millennium edition which let me discover Heroes one, two, and three! The series defined the genre of turn based strategy games for me and has given countless hours of fun throughout the years.

Micutz= Hello there, I’m known as Micutz on Shadow Council and I played Heroes of Might and Magic from 3 to 6 including and Might and Magic X Legacy. My favourite one is Heroes of M&M V Tribes of The East.

EmeraldPhoenix= Hello everyone! I`m EmeraldPhoenix – a Heroes fan from Slovenia :) I was introduced to the Heroes of might and magic series by my uncle when I was very small by watching him play HOMM 3 and 4. Slowly he thought me how to play… And that`s how my love for the series began!

JotunLogi= Hello Everyone, I am 'JotunLogi', a 24 years old student living in Poland. My adventure with M&M universe has begun around 1999 with Heroes of Might and Magic 2. I have immediately fallen in love with this series and since then I regularly play games set in this great universe. My favourite faction is knight/castle/Haven.

Galaad= I am Galaad and I think all you infidels should get out of here and praise Baa until he forgives you!

2. What was your reaction when you received your invitation to this event? What were you expecting from this day?

BeYo_OnD= To be honest, I kinda had an idea that I might get invited, but you can imagine I was pretty excited when I actually received the e-mail. I called my family and friends to let them know I was going to participate and they encouraged me. As for what I expected, I imagined that the atmosphere was going to be more formal and that we would play a bit with all the factions revealed up until then, Haven, Academy and Necropolis, plus Stronghold, but things turned out quite differently.

Roch= At first, I was skeptical. I was sure I wouldn't win. "WTF? Me? Chosen? What a joke. Impossible." One hour later, I finally realized that I won. “Wow, it can actually happen to anybody!"

Socket= It was very unexpected to be invited to this fan day event, but it was very exciting. I think it is every fan's dream to get invited to the Ubisoft offices to play test the latest Heroes game!

SlumbrousShip5= I was very thrilled to have received an invitation to talk with the team about the game I love and was very excited to get a first look at my favorite faction in Ashan.

Micutz= My situation is a bit different. I was so lucky to be invited to this event and when I found out that I will receive an invitation my reaction was “WHAT THE F**K??! This can’t be true!”. I expected that day to be special and it was!

EmeraldPhoenix= I must say I never expected to win the invitation… But I still wrote why the series was important to me on the comment section, because I felt like telling it. And then, on the day the contest results were revealed, I casually went to see who won to congratulate them… And I was so shocked to see my name on the list! Needless to say I couldn`t do any real work that day… I was just so happy! :D What I expected from the day was to get a glimpse of how the game will look like and to be able to ask the team some questions about it. And I also expected it to be an adventure of course :)

JotunLogi= Both joy and suprise that I have been chosen.

Galaad= I started to think Ubisoft and Limbic were suicidal.

3. The main focus of this build was the Stronghold faction, what is your thought about this line-up?

BeYo_OnD= One of the best factions in the game so far, if not the best. The line-up is amazing. Gnolls and Wyverns are back, and we get a new Basilisk creature too. Top that with one of the most requested units from Heroes 3 Stronghold - the Behemoth! I expect players to enjoy the line-up as much as I did.

Roch= I love beast-creatures, especially Beastmen, and my favorite faction was Academy, with badass Rakshasas and cute little Cabirs. But now, I prefer Stronghold. Stronghold had always nice line-up and orcs look great. I really like the return of Gnolls and their charismatic leader, Drâkon, from H3. Stronghold screentown soundtrack please me a lot. It's an epic and instrumental music, without chant.

Socket= My impressions of the Stronghold faction are very positive. I think it is my favorite lineup and unit design for this faction since the barbarians in Heroes 2. I was initially worried that the necessity of re-using some assets from H6 would make the game feel like H6.5, however I believe Limbic has done a fantastic job with this, using the existing assets in a clever way or tweaking them so that it feels like a whole new game.

SlumbrousShip5= Stronghold's line up is definitely my favorite in the game. It brought some familiar faces with a new look and interesting abilities. All the units and heroes simply looked amazing. And of course the stronghold track sounds as good as they look :)

Micutz= I’m glad that I had the opportunity to take part in this event, the line-up is AWESOME!! I really enjoyed playing the Stronghold faction. New cool creatures like basilisks, wyvern make this faction be more interesting but the comeback of the Behemoth with its jumping skills made my day! Guys, you are going to love this game, trust me!

EmeraldPhoenix= I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the Stronghold line-up. Adding creatures from H3 Fortress to it? Great idea in my opinion! And they were so well redesigned to fit with the Orcs, I could never have imagined it! It`s also nice to see the Behemoths again! :)

JotunLogi= I have never been a fan of this faction and, as a result, I have barely ever played it. To my own surprise, I have had a lot of fun playing it! The line-up is well balanced, with decent number of flyers and shooters. All the units are really cool and just fun to use due to their abilities. All in all, it is, without a doubt, one of the better Stronghold in M&M: Heroes franchise history and one of the best factions in M&M: Heroes 7 so far.

Galaad= I think Stronghold is going to be the best faction of the game.

4. You discovered the first two maps of the Stronghold campaign; can you share your opinion about them?

Note for our readers: while the first map is more quest-oriented, the second one brings a more traditional approach. Moreover, please keep in mind that this is a still work-in-progress version with remaining bugs and balancing issues.

BeYo_OnD= Personally, I liked the first map better. I got a taste of the possibilities of the adventure map, terrains, objects and events. Even though it was a bit more RPG oriented, I didn't mind it at all. The one thing I didn't like was the time limit and the way the quest objectives were displayed. Also something bothered me about the camera angles but I can't recall what exactly. The second map was more classical in its approach, having a town and being able to build an army. The tech tree was something I really liked, it reminded me of Heroes 3 with the buildings being displayed in brackets, and the prerequisite paths were interesting. I also appreciated the fact that there are more buildings where players can make a choice and not only for the Champion dwelling.

Roch= The first map didn't convince me, too linear and difficult. The second map with the traditional approach was much, much better! A true Heroes of Might and Magic map with cities, buildings, mines and exploration. Exactly what I (we?) want. This map allowed to me to explore the gameplay in detail. Now I'm reassured, it's better than H6.

Socket= The beginning map was a good intro, more focused but not a typically frustrating hand held tutorial. The second was fun, and gives you some of that classic Heroes gameplay.

SlumbrousShip5= The campaigns were quite fun. The first one gave a nice introduction of characters and story. It gave the player a few options on how to tackle the enemy depending on the preferred strategy. The second map was a great way to discover all about stronghold and its units. There was lots to do and many monsters to recruit. The story was also very good and leaves you wanting to play more.

Micutz= My opinion, hmm… INCREF*CKINDIBLE! I just loved every single inch of those maps, the difficulty level is pretty high on the first one, thank God! This way no one will get bored playing... The story was really interesting too!

EmeraldPhoenix= The first map was a bit short, but that`s why the difficulty was higher (you start with a low level hero without a town to strengthen your army). As you said it was more quest-oriented, but I think it`s good to change game objectives from time to time to make it more diverse. As for the second map I couldn`t get a real feeling about it since we didn`t play against the AI opponent, and it was pretty easy once you got a bigger army… But the map was nicely planned out from what I saw and I guess it will pose a nice challenge to the players after the game release. I`m certainly waiting to play it again with some real difficulty.

JotunLogi= The first one was too scripted and too short to enjoy it as much as I would have had. Fortunately, the second one was quite nice and provided me a lot of fun!

Galaad= Alright, was expecting more challenge though. I liked being the only one who got the first mission crashing haha!

5. What is your global feeling about the current state of the game?

BeYo_OnD= I have a positive feeling overall. For a first impression, Heroes 7 seems to be a game I will enjoy. But there are still areas that need more work. Skillwheel, UI, Townscreens, Necropolis, creature abilities, just to name a few of the important ones. That said, I can't take away the progress that has been already made. I can only hope for it to get even better, if not in the release version, then maybe with expansions.

Roch= I have a very good feeling about the current state of the game. The gameplay is already much better than H6. In the final version, the game will be probably better than H5! It's a melting-pot of others Heroes of Might and Magic games, especially 3 and 4, the return of seven resources, the choice between two buildings... with some new but good mechanics! I'm not totally convinced by the new skilltree-system but I'll give it a chance. Animations in battle are great and creatures are very well designed. However, the ground and its elements need many improvements as I said to the team.

Socket= Overall I am excited about the state of the game I can't wait to play more!

SlumbrousShip5= I feel the game is definitely headed in the right direction. To me, it felt like a nice mix of classic creatures with an updated style of fighting. The flanking system was a nice addition that added different options in terms of battle tactics. The unit stats have drastically improved from Heroes six, which helped differentiate the armies. The adventure map is much more 'alive' now with more things to collect and places to go. Overall, it looks great and I am really looking forward spending lots of time with this game.

Micutz= This game has, in my opinion, a big future! The foundation is solid, and with Map Editor, RMG, Duel Mode and Simultaneous Turns the replayability would be endless! I think the game will be good and the players will enjoy it.

EmeraldPhoenix= I have a good feeling about it since things are returning back to the roots of the series (no town conversion, mage guilds are back...) There sure are changes but I think they are oriented in a good way. The only thing that worries me is the skill system… I like the new aestethic look of it but I didn`t see any randomness in it (which I consider crucial for the series), so that might be a problem. // Note from M&M team: The Random Skills feature wasn’t implemented in this version :)

JotunLogi= First and foremost, the game is really great and I have had a lot of fun playing it it even it was just an alpha version. There have been some glitches and bugs, some of game features were not working as they should have (or were not working at all), but considering the current state of the game- everything was fine. None of these problems was really relevant or spoilt the gameplay in any way. There were some issues that bother me and that I did not like. Fortunately, the team is aware that some of them need improvement and is open to all the suggestions in order to make it as good as possible.

Galaad= I didn’t like what I’ve seen from the skillwheel.

6. How was the interaction with the team?

BeYo_OnD= Great! People were friendly and there was a good atmosphere. Whenever we had questions about certain things, there was always someone there to explain it to us. I also got to meet some interesting members like Marzhin and Oakwarrior who were long time fans of the franchise that eventually got involved, but also other ones like Arnaud (who's been of tremendous help to us), Alexis, Francois and even Erwan le Breton. I only wish Xavier was there too.

Roch= Great. The team was really attentive to my opinion. It was great to speak with them during the fanday and sharing our passion and culture about Heroes of Might and Magic universe. A strong knowledge about the series was necessary. Now, I hope they'll take our opinions into account. I appreciate the afternoon too, eating, playing, and drinking soda in the same time. So cool. So Geek.

Socket= It was fantastic to be able to talk directly with the team as I progressed through the maps to give feedback and discuss all of the details of the game.

SlumbrousShip5= The team was very generous and easy to talk to. We discussed our favorite factions, creatures, and our preferred styles of playing. It was a joy to spend the day with them and discuss the game. I hope to do it again one day :)

Micutz= The team was cool, they were open to anything we had to say… They helped us, answered to any questions we had; they were friendly and I hope we’ll have another opportunity to see them and work together.

EmeraldPhoenix= The team is great! They listened to our questions, (good or bad) critics, suggestions… and then answered and explained us what we wanted to know. They even discussed about fan ideas for the game with us! So I really must compliment those guys, they`re great! :D

JotunLogi= It was absolutely fantastic, I have had a really nice conversation with very nice people that were both patient and open enough to talk not only about the game and all the M&M universe but also just about daily life. I really cannot say any bad word about any team member and each person deserves many warm words.

Galaad= I didn’t kill anyone so there’s that.

7. Finally, what are your thoughts about this day?

BeYo_OnD= I'm happy that such an event was organized and I'm really grateful I could participate. I'm convinced that communication between the developers and the community is essential to any game really, but more so in the case of Heroes and the M&M games. So I hope events like this where the community can interact with the devs will get bigger and be more frequent!

Socket= It was a fantastic day, I am very grateful to Ubisoft for the opportunity, I would definitely attend again given the chance.

SlumbrousShip5= It was an exciting experience for me to get a close up look on what goes on in the making of this awesome game. I really enjoyed meeting and finding common ground with the people that help make my favorite series live on. My dedication as a fan has certainly grown from this trip thanks to Ubisoft.

Micutz= This day will definitely be one that I cannot forget… Everything was great, the game was great, team was great, Paris was great! I met Erwan le Breton, Arnaud Fremont, Julien Pirou and the rest of the M&M team and I had the chance to talk with them about the game which was great!

EmeraldPhoenix= It was fantastic: just the right amount of gaming and talking with the team! I`m really happy about having taken place to such an event and having had the chance to meet the team – it will surely remain in my memory for a very long time! :)

JotunLogi= It was just amazing, no other word comes to my mind. I has been one of the best days I have had in recent years. I have enjoyed every moment of it and I want to sincerely thank Ubisoft and all the people that have been involved in this event- not only those from Ubi or Limbic but also all the fans that were present- for the great time I have spent with them.

Galaad= Good organization, and friendly environment.

8. Any last word to share with the community?

BeYo_OnD= As I once said to a dear friend of mine, "sticking your head up your a** accomplishes nothing". There is nothing worse you can do than feigning ignorance or pretending that everything's fine when it actually isn't. So I encourage the community to express itself, even if that just means approving or complaining about something. Those are important vectors that the developers very much need.

SlumbrousShip5= We all want a great Heroes game and from what I have seen, that is exactly what they plan to deliver.

Micutz= You are going to enjoy this game guys! Can’t wait to play MIGHT AND MAGIC HEROES VII ! Let us all contribute to this game! Peace!

EmeraldPhoenix= I just wish for more fans to be able to meet the team and play the game early as I was able to :) And I also wish for H7 to be a great game that all of us will enjoy playing for a very long time!

JotunLogi= Just one word?! I want to share more than just that! Stay tuned ‘cause the game is worth it! Best wishes- JotunLogi

Galaad= I am sad to see so many people at the Shadow Council bashing on NWC games. Let me remind you loud and clear, if they hadn't created this series and made such a great success out of it in the first place, there wouldn't even be a Hello Heroes world of Ashan® to even defend! Heretics!!

There is another member of Ivan’s Council I should tell you about: Ivan’s Master of Arms, the Orc Kente.

To understand Kente’s presence among Ivan’s council, we have to go back in time, to the 544th Year of the Seventh Dragon. When the young Duke of Griffin of that era, Slava, accepted to welcome the vagrant Orcs of the Whitespear tribe on his lands, a custom was established. The Whitespear Orcs would send one of their best warriors to Eastalon, to become the Duke’s Master of Arms. Of course, no Orc would ever serve a Human if not of his own free will. The new Master of Arms would always be a volunteer – the first of which was none other than Kraal, the Whitespears’ own chieftain.

Throughout the centuries, the relationship between Orcs and Humans within the Griffin Duchy has been… uneven, to say the least. Nowadays, most Orcs are content to stay in their mountainous steppes and not interact with the “babyteeth”, as they call Humans, unless the need is dire. When Ivan became Duke, there had been no volunteer in decades, and the old custom was little more than a legend of days past.

Such was the state of things when Kente rode to Eastalon and, unexpectedly, offered his sword to the Duke of Griffin.

A direct descendant of the great chieftain Kraal, it is my understanding that Kente often communes with his Ancestors through dreams and meditations. It seems that these guardian spirits have warned him of a dark time to come, when “a Demon in the shape of a woman would paint the Empire in red, and the Orcs would be made slaves again”. When Empress Maeve was assassinated, Kente started to suspect this was the event he had foreseen. He immediately saddled his robust steppe horse, said goodbye to his mate and children, and went to Eastalon to fulfil his destiny.

Kente is certain that Ivan has to become Emperor to prevent his vision from ever coming completely true. He also has hopes of rekindling the friendship that once united his people to the Griffin dynasty. That way, he believes, the spectre of slavery would never return to threaten his people. Sadly, not many Orcs share his views on these matters.

In many ways, Kente is the opposite of the Orc stereotype of the bloodthirsty, mindless brute. His intelligence and military acumen are not to be underestimated, yet he is a strong advocate of peaceful solutions… which won’t prevent him from cutting his enemies in two if they’re asking for it. While not sparring or hunting with the Duke, Kente spends most of his time in Eastalon’s menagerie, tending to the dogs, horses and Griffins. Despite his intimidating appearance, he is also surprisingly popular with children. The little ones love to hear him recount tales of great heroes of the past, in the lively manner of his people. I believe all children in Eastalon now know the stories of characters such as Malathua, Kunyak, Batu or even Goink the handsomest Goblin.

Kente is content to play the dumb Orc in the Humans’ presence, if that can help put them at ease. Only a few people – among them Ivan, Anastasya and of course myself – realize this is all an act. It’s something Kraal also used to do, which greatly amuses Anastasya.

Kente’s 3D model from the CGI trailer, by Florent Renard.

]]>
551d6784ca01776620c19529http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/the-master-of-arms-kente
Thu, 02 Apr 2015 18:00:04 +0200Story & Lore[April Fools'] Discover MMH7: AR_Experience
Since last Christmas, some members of the team have been working on a secret project, that we were finally able to reveal during the press event of Might & Magic Heroes VII! Only a limited number of attendees had the opportunity to discover this project behind closed doors, but today we want to give you a first glimpse of Heroes’ future!

As you may know, many actors in the gaming industry are developing solutions to enhance our gaming experience through virtual & augmented reality. Even if some of them appear to be a “still far from us”-future, our R&D lab studied various technologies to adapt the Heroes experience.
Might & Magic: Heroes combats are similar to a chess game in various points. But what if the limit of the screen was broken and you were able to play as a real board game? This technology is coming closer and you will be able in only a few months to add augmented reality to your screens, especially to your tablets!

Nowadays, many people are using their smartphones to play games or to control applications. Thanks to the MMH7 AR (*Augmented Reality) Experience application, you will be able to control the reality right in front of you!

Without further delay, it is now time to discover the first prototype of this project live through the epic fight between two men seeking for justice.

Stay tuned for more information about this exciting project that will completely redefine your Heroes experience!
]]>
551bdc5f29c836dd355bb629http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/april-fools-discover-mmh7-ar-experience
Wed, 01 Apr 2015 13:54:07 +0200General discussionStronghold Screenshots
Two weeks ago, the press and some members of the community had the opportunity to play the first 2 maps of the Stronghold Campaign in exclusivity.

The team will organize a Twitch session to showcase this version in the upcoming weeks but for the time being, we are pleased to share with you some screenshots of the game, featuring Stronghold faction!

In the meantime, we are currently organizing interviews of the Shadow Council representatives that joined us for this great event in order to share with you all their feedback about this work in progress version of the title! The skillwheel will also be introduced and detailed in future publication. Stay tuned!

Adventure Map

Combat Map

Wallpapers

Even if today is the big day for the Stronghold faction, many of you were waiting for a confirmation of last week vote results!

After recount of the ballots, we are really pleased to announce that those votes were almost 100% genuine! Thank you very much for your commitment :)

Thus, the results remain the same and we can confirm our two winners:
The Priest of Death and the Blood Monster!

Vote for the Lich design!

The Priest of Death => 36 %

The Undead Sorcerer => 29 %

The Ancient Mummy => 35 %

Vote for the Vampire design!

The Vampire Knight => 25 %

The Night Lady => 37 %

The Blood Monster => 38 %

As previously announced, those votes will only take place in one round in order to ensure the start of the production of the two units as soon as possible. This is necessary to respect production planning: we will reiterate in order to create standard/upgrade versions, prepare 2D arts, 3D models, animations etc.

The Stronghold update is now live! https://mmh7.ubi.com/en/factions/stronghold
“Tribes of nomadic barbarians, Orcs are the scattered but proud survivors of a long history of persecution. They boast ranks of fierce warriors supported by powerful Shamans. Orcs prefer open skies and the freedom to move on when the urge takes them: many chose to lead a nomadic life in the dunes of the Sahaar desert.”

New website features also are available, if you have any issues with them, please try to empty your browser cache (shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+R)

A website update is currently in the pipeline. Along with several improvements that will grant moderators better tools, we decided to add two new features to the user interface.

With the next update, you will be able to report content that you identify as inappropriate. This will help us to ensure a pleasant place for all exchanges about MMH7. You will be able to report a comment once only.

In addition to this, we added the possibility to create a link from any comment in order to help you make references.

Finally, we decided to add the possibility for our moderators to temporarily suspend accounts that do not respect the community or Uplay terms of service
https://www.ubisoft.com/en-US/terms-of-service.html. If the persons continue to share inappropriate content after warnings or previous deletion, the account will be suspended for a given time period.

We will continue to work on website features and are already adding your requests to our project backlog.

Best,
The M&M Team.
In the meantime, do not forget to vote for your favorite
Lich & Vampire design!
]]>
55143da9ca01774479d6cfbchttp://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/upcoming-website-features
Thu, 26 Mar 2015 18:11:05 +0100CommunityVote for the Vampire design!Update [2015/03/29]:
Even if current vote results seems to be legit, we will operate a quick recount of vote ballots on Monday. We will confirm the winner of both votes with a dedicated article as soon as possible.

Hello Councillors,

A few weeks ago, we announced the complete visual rework of 2 creatures from Necropolis line-up: The Lich and the Vampire.

Taking your comments into account and picking from the best of our universe, we started to work with our artists to propose 3 meaningful options.

Since this rework decision was initiated from community feedback, we also decided that this council will be the one, which makes the final choice through a new vote for the game.

Cast your vote today and decide the next design of the Lich and the Vampire in MMH7!

Those votes will take place in a single round, results will be hidden until the end of the vote and we will monitor duplicates accounts, as always. Choose wisely, following only your own opinion. This is your voice that matters today.

In the meantime, please keep in mind that the following pictures only are rough sketches that do not represent the final quality of the design. They will help us to define the general art direction of the unit. The winning option will be reiterated and customized in order to comply with the game art direction.
Lich vote available here: https://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/vote-for-the-lich-design

Vote now for the Vampire design!

Select between the following 3 options:

1. - The Vampire Knight

Timeless and heartless, this aristocratic warrior has adopted a dark and twisted code of chivalry. But beneath his noble appearance lies the undying thirst for fresh blood.

2. - The Night Lady

Pale and gaunt, yet eerily beautiful, she uses her otherworldly charms to obtain the blood she craves. But when war comes, she proves a deadly foe on the battlefield.

3. - The Blood Monster

This vampire has abandoned the pretense of aristocracy and embraced his bloodlust with feral abandon. Who needs a sword when you can rip your enemy’s throat with your bare hands?

End of the vote: March 29th, 23:59 CET

]]>
5512e949ca01778472d6cfe9http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/vote-for-the-vampire-design
Wed, 25 Mar 2015 17:58:49 +0100VoteVote for the Lich design!Update [2015/03/29]:
Even if current vote results seems to be legit, we will operate a quick recount of vote ballots on Monday. We will confirm the winner of both votes with a dedicated article as soon as possible.

Hello Councillors,

A few weeks ago, we announced the complete visual rework of 2 creatures from Necropolis line-up: The Lich and the Vampire.

Taking your comments into account and picking from the best of our universe, we started to work with our artists to propose 3 meaningful options.

Since this rework decision was initiated from community feedback, we also decided that this council will be the one, which makes the final choice through a new vote for the game.

Cast your vote today and decide the next design of the Lich and the Vampire in MMH7!

Those votes will take place in a single round, results will be hidden until the end of the vote and we will monitor duplicates accounts, as always. Choose wisely, following only your own opinion. This is your voice that matters today.

In the meantime, please keep in mind that the following pictures only are rough sketches that do not represent the final quality of the design. They will help us to define the general art direction of the unit. The winning option will be reiterated and customized in order to comply with the game art direction.
Vampire vote available here: https://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/vote-for-the-vampire-design

Vote now for the Lich design!

Select between the following 3 options:

1. The Priest of Death

Reading unholy scripture from the pages of some ancient Book of the Dead or Libram of Last Rites, this priest of Asha invokes the darkest aspect of his Goddess.

2. The Undead Sorcerer

Having transcended the rules of Life and Death, this dark Wizard has forsaken flesh to the point of becoming a cadaver himself, in exchange of tremendous powers.

3. The Ancient Mummy

This Undead priest has been around since the early days of the Spider Cult. Only bandages and rituals keep his rotten body in one piece, and he hides his desiccated face under a mask.

End of the vote: March 29th, 23:59 CET

]]>
5512e5d7ca01777772d6cfc3http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/vote-for-the-lich-design
Wed, 25 Mar 2015 17:44:07 +0100VoteAcademy’s Hall of Heroes
Today, we wanted to share with you the portraits, bios and specializations of some of the Academy Heroes you’ll be able to hire in the Hall of Heroes in skirmish or multiplayer maps. While they are not the main characters of the campaigns, some of these characters might play a role in the stories. Longtime Heroes fans might also recognize some familiar faces :)

Keep in mind all of this is still work in progress, especially the class attributions and specializations.

MINASLI

Race: HumanAffinity: MagicClass: WizardSpecialization: Master of Water (Increases Magic by X when casting spells of this school.)

Biography:Minasli was the type of child who takes things apart to find out how they work. Studying magic was a slow process for her because she was more interested in deconstructing spells than learning new ones, much to her tutors' annoyance. Her natural curiosity and thoroughness served her well in the end, though: impressed by the knowledge she has acquired, Headmaster Theodorus has recently asked Minasli to become the new teacher of Magical theory.

MIRYM

Biography:Mirym is a half-breed, the son of a famous Knight of the Empire and a Dark Elf sorceress. Seen by many as an anomaly, even an abomination, Mirym struggled to find his place in the world until he joined the Academies of Magic, where questions of race and origins do not matter. Mirym decided to embrace the open-mindedness wholeheartedly. He swore to never let any bias or prejudice cloud his judgment, and has made friends in all the major Houses.

ASAD

Race: RakshasaAffinity: MightClass: BlademageSpecialization: Rakshasa Officer (Increases the production of Rakshasas and Rakshasa Rajas by X/week in the area of control.))

Biography:Asad al-Kzin is charming, smart, haughty and a tad sadistic – pretty much what you would expect a giant cat to be. However, do not let is laidback and indolent attitude fool you: when the situation calls for it, Asad can become a remorseless and merciless killer in the blink of an eye. Of course, he'd rather kill only when it serves his own interests, but sometimes you just have to enjoy the small pleasures in life.

SAABIRA

Race: HumanAffinity: MightClass: AlchemistSpecialization: Cabir Summoner (Increases the production of Cabeiri by X/week.)

Biography:Saabira is one of the greatest Archmages of House Chimera, and has specialized in the creation of Beastmen. Her mastery of the art of fusing man and animal allowed her to join the Circle of Nine, the ruling council of the Academies. After the great revolts, she has been working on new ways to enforce the obedience of her creations, and to ensure they remain harmless -- that is, until she doesn't want them to be. In the meantime, she uses summoned spirits like Cabeiri to do her bidding.

Last week we had the great pleasure to give the opportunity to journalists and fans to play MMH7 for the first time! Through 3 intense days, the team shared its progress and its passion with players from all over the world. Several announces were made and new content has been unveiled but you will have to stay patient a little longer to know more… :)

Today, we wanted to share with you a bit more of those events and take the time to thanks the whole team for their great work and all attendees for those fascinating days!

Some representatives of this Council honored us with their presence; it was a real pleasure to exchange with true fans!

After news embargo date, you will be able to discover first previews of the game, new content on the website but also hear feedback from your fellow Councillors! Stay tuned!

The Press-Event

A lot to do!

We are ready to go!

This is where the magic happens!

Do you remember our Gamescom CGI Trailer?

After playing, some journalists wanted to do an interview with the team. Please meet Oakwarrior, former M&M VIP who joined the team as programmer!

The Fan-Day

Our precious guests and some team members!

Let’s play and discuss with the team!

After a long playing session, some SC members conducted interviews with Erwan & Marzhin

Unfortunately the day is already over :(

Breaking News: A masked man assaulted Erwan le Breton on his way home...

Using Talonguard as his base of operations, Ivan would gather his and Stefan’s forces, march on Horncrest and remove Seamus from the Holy Throne. Of course, thanks to the information I had obtained on my end, he already knew that beyond the borders of the Stag Duchy, Seamus was also preparing for war…

Tales of the Ten Years War

851 YSD – Scars of War

The Price of Loyalty

On the other side of the North River, Seamus was moving his troops. Regiments sporting the green and gold banner of the Stag were gathering around Dun Carria. He called upon his vassals to become his first line of defense against the Griffin-Wolf alliance. Amílcar of Bull himself was given command of Ronan’s Gate, the old Angelic fortress built on the Stag border, just north of the hill where Falcon’s Reach once stood.

While many would have seen it as an honour, the proud Amílcar was reportedly not too happy to become “Seamus’ doorman”.

Meanwhile, Enguerrand of Greyhound’s forces marched north, althrough their progress was slowed down near Timberwood during a series of skirmishes with a company of Windswords led by Andras of Hammer Fall, a mercenary of honourable reputation. Now mercenaries only work if an employer pays them. I have gethered clues leading me to believe Andras might have been hired by Irollan to impede Seamus’ war effort, although other clues have drawn my suspicions towards the merchant guild of Eridan Crossing.

Coincidentally, Rowena of Unicorn’s own contribution to Seamus’ reinforcements was much lower than expected. According to the Redhead of Yorwick, too many of her soldiers had died during the last seven years of conflict, and these meagre forces were all she had left. And while this in itself doesn’t prove anything, my spied report that Rowena asked her captains to reach the Stag Duchy through less-traveled roads – more specifically, not the ones Enguerrand’s troops had taken…

Seamus’ eyes were fixated on Talonguard, where Ivan had moved his quarters. Back in the sixth century, Talonguard had been established as a peaceful refuge, where Empress Gwendolyn and her consort, Anton, could escape from the politics and endless intrigue of the imperial capitol. War was now reclaiming it.

Winds of War

By the early days of spring, Ivan made his move. His target was not Dun Carria, as Seamus was expecting, but Brynwood. If the Griffin-Wolf alliance could take this city, then it would have an almost open road towards Horncrest. While Ivan’s forces were entering the Stag’s domain from the south, Stefan of Wolf was launching a simultaneous attack from the east.

While I admire my lord’s audacity, I have to say his plan was far from faultless. Seamus had been at war before, and was not so easily fooled. He also had the council of Archbishop Wilhelm, who had fought a long war of attrition against Archon Belketh in the War of the Broken Staff. The Stag Emperor ordered several regiments stationed in Forkriver to reinforce Brynwood’s garrison, while Enguerrand’s armies were sent to Meadowfair, providing a crude, but efficient second line of defence.

Archbishop Wilhelm

To counter Seamus’ tactics, Ivan was finding himself forced to change his plans in all haste and press north. He needed Stefan to be successful at Brynwood, as they would then be able to reunite their forces to march on Meadowfair. But first, he had to capture Forkriver.

Ivan thought of himself as a man of honour, a man that would spare innocent life when possible. But there’s no such thing as a clean war, and time was of the essence -- Ivan needed to cut Forkriver’s supplies without delay, to avoid a long siege that would only benefit Seamus. There was only one way to achieve this goal: burn the fields, the farms, the orchards. Peasants who refused to abandon their lands were left to burn with them. That’s how Ivan gained the first of many nicknames: Ivan of the Ashes.

Following Brynwood’s fall, the Wolf and Griffin gathered their forces and marched west, towards Horncrest, leaving a trail of fire and death behind them. In the Stag lands, he was not even known as Ivan anymore -- he was the Bloody Griffin, Ivan the Starver, Lord Cold-heart, the Bane of the North, the Oathbreaker, the Betrayer. Each of these nicknames became a burning scar on his soul. Ivan’s plan was back on track, at the price of his reputation.

Seamus’ armies, led by the Stag Emperor himself, had joined Enguerrand’s troops in Meadowfair. As autumn descended on the lands of the Stag Duchy, the greatest battle of the year 851 was about to begin. But you already know it ended – had things gone differently, this council would have no reason to be held. Meadowfair was the Griffin’s darkest hour.

The Gathering Storm

You probably heard the story of the duel Ivan fought against Seamus on the battlefield. How the “traitorous” Duke of Griffin had once again underestimated his opponent. How Seamus was not only a skilled swordsman, but also a master of the arcane arts, how his magic had turned the tide of the battle, and how the renegades were forced to run for their lives “as if Crag Hack himself was on their heels”, as the old proverb goes.

But Ivan and Seamus never actually crossed swords in Meadowfair. As always, truth and legend intertwine. The Stag Emperor indeed proved a powerful magician, but it is precisely why he was actually far behind the frontlines, using his magic to support for his troops, and not in the melee. The one Ivan really faced that day was Enguerrand of Greyhound. Enguerrand was wielding the Blade of Loyalty, one of the seven bastard swords of Elrath.

History likes to repeat itself. Once, Ivan had shattered the Blade of Truth with his own Blade of Revelation. On that autumn day, amidst the blood-soaked fields of Meadowfair, the Blade of Loyalty ran through Ivan’s sword, Iron Feather, the sword once wielded by the founder of the Griffin line, and broke it into dozens of pieces. An iron shard flew into Ivan’s face, opening a gaping wound across the right side of his noble visage. It is a miracle he didn’t lose his eye.

The Blade of Loyalty could never lose against a betrayer…

As Enguerrand was about to strike the fatal blow, putting an end to Ivan’s rebellion, a strange bird came out of nowhere and distracted the Duke of Greyhound, giving Ivan’s loyal Master-of-Arms, Kente, an opportunity to take his wounded lord away. Suddenly ice and lightning were raining on the Stag and Greyhound soldiers, causing great confusion across their ranks. As the mysterious blue bird guided Kente and Ivan to safety, it became apparent the delegation from the Silver Cities – or at least part of it – had decided to turn against Seamus.

Today, we wanted to share with you the portraits, bios and specializations of
some of the Haven Heroes you’ll be able to hire in the Hall of Heroes in skirmish or multiplayer maps. While they are not the main characters of the campaigns, some of these characters might play a role in the stories.

Longtime Heroes fans might also recognize some familiar faces :)

Keep in mind all of this is still work in progress, especially the class attributions and specializations.

KRYZSTOFF

Biography:Kryzstoff rules a small barony located on the contested border between the Griffin and Wolf Duchies. Maybe because his parents gave him a name that nobody seems to be able to write correctly, he grew into a punctilious and pernickety man, which made him the perfect material to join the ranks of the Inquisition. Make no mistake though: he is very much a man of action, and his meticulousness even made him an efficient spellcaster. As a result, the white eagle that adorns his blazon is quite often soaked in his enemies' red blood.

TYRIS

Race: HumanAffinity: MightClass: PaladinSpecialization: Cavalry Officer (Increases the production of Cavaliers and Cuirassiers by X/week in the Area of Control.)

Biography:Tyris comes a prestigious line of horse riders and trainers. She made her ancestors proud by becoming the first woman to win the tournament held every 30 years to commemorate Richard of Unicorn's legendary victories in the jousting arena against Duke Siegfried of Wolf's champions. Following her victory, Tyris was awarded a knighthood and an officer rank in the Duke of Unicorn's armies. It is during a tour of duty in the Seven Cities that she met the one who would become her husband, Edric.

YMORIL

Race: HumanAffinity: MightClass: PaladinSpecialization: Justicar Captain (Increases the production of Guardians and Justicars by X/week in the Area of Control.)

Biography:Hailing from Hammer Fall, Ymoril Redshield is a young captain trained by Konrad Wolf in person. Ymoril lost her parents at a very young age and Konrad, who had just been appointed governor of the city, adopted her as his own daughter. Ymoril grew into a capable fighter but also a wise administrator, and she has the full trust of her foster father.

EDRIC

Race: HumanAffinity: MightClass: VindicatorSpecialization: Beast Tamer (Increases the production of Wolves or Griffins by X/week in the Area of Control.)

Biography:Born in the Seven Cities, Edric was named after the imperial Crusader who saved his father's life when the scholar fell prey to a pride of Griffins he intended to study. While the anecdote ensured Edric would grow up fascinated with Griffins, he was never too fond of his "exotic" moniker, until a peculiar event changed his life forever. It is indeed his very name that caught the interest and curiosity of Tyris, the beautiful gold-headed knight who stole Edric's heart. The young Blademage left the Seven Cities to follow his beloved back to the Unicorn Duchy, and never looked back.

While moving some boxes around the office, one of our designers came across some archives from the 3DO days.

Browsing through that box, he found a CD labelled "Heroes 1-3 Best-Of Music". That seemed a great thing to listen to while working on Heroes VII. But after a few well-known tracks, suddenly his ears were filled with a haunting melody he had never heard before!

He immediately sent the track to the Heroes composers, Rob King and Paul Romero, hoping they could tell him more about it. While they remembered the track itself, they didn't recall where it was supposed to be used originally.

After some more research, he discovered that the mystery track had been used as an alternate Sorceress town theme in the "Millenium Edition" release of Heroes II. That version of the game had a strange soundtrack, with many town themes being replaced by their Heroes III counterparts, weirdly.
So where does this mystery track really come from? Maybe it was meant to be the town theme for the Forge faction before it was scrapped? Nobody remembers...

Emissaries of Asha, Magic Heroes of Necropolis also master the secret art of Necromancy, focusing on the erosion of the body and domination of the spirit. Thanks to their powerful spells they erode the will of their enemies before bringing them down to the graves and back in the ranks of their own armies…

Discover today the Magic Heroes from Necropolis:

Necromancer,

Embalmer,

Archon.

Necromancer

The Wizards of House Eterna are powerful spellcasters, using dark, prime and water magic to terrify, hurt, slow or freeze their enemies, before raising their corpses to reinforce their own troops. Aside from their magical abilities, tough, they are also skilled commanders on the battlefield, capable of dealing a fair amount of damage using offensive abilities and the power of their warfare units.

Main skills: Necromancy, Dark Magic, Offense

Embalmer

Embalmers are the keepers of balance. Educated and passionate, they have an interest for both the dead and the living. Powerful spellcasters, they rely on both Prime and Dark magic, but their talents are not limited to magic, and they also knowledgeable in economy and diplomacy. When it comes to battle, however, they are not to be underestimated: they too can raise the dead to fight on their behalf.

Main skills: Necromancy, Prime Magic, Paragon

Archon

Masters of time, Archons learned the art of Necromancy from Belketh, the Angel of Death, himself. They still use dark magic and even fire magic from time to time, but they are scholars first and foremost, students of Asha’s eternal cycle of Life and Death. Less fanatical than the other members of the Spider Cult, they act defensively in battle, and wear down their foes with infinite patience.

Dissidents in the Seven Cities, Necromancers were first persecuted and hunted. However today, they stand in the rear of waves of undead armies, countless in number, infinitely obedient and immune to fear or pain. Heroes from Necropolis can raise dead enemies to reinforce their ranks and replace their own fallen lines thanks to their racial ability: Necromancy.

Discover today the Might Heroes from Necropolis:

Ebon Knight,

Death Knight,

Bone Guard.

Ebon Knight

As all members of House Eterna, Ebon Knights can raise the dead to reinforce their army after each battle, but their talents are best used on the battlefield itself, as they can leverage the full extent of warcries, warfare units, offensive maneuvers and spells to send their enemies to Asha. They are also experts of dark magic, casting terrifying spells to weaken their foes even more.

Main skills: Necromancy, Offense, Dark Magic

Death Knight

Death Knights are the spearheads of the Undead armies, usually tasked with expanding the Necromancer’s dominion. On the frontier, Death Knights can take control of new settlements and towns and manage their growth more efficiently. But while they are good administrators they remain masters of Necromancy, able to raise large armies of skeletal regiments to serve their purpose.

Main skills: Necromancy, Warfare, Economy

Bone Guard

As patient as death itself, Bone Guards are the protectors of Heresh. Masters of Necromancy, they can raise and control Undead armies, but they also know when to negotiate the surrender of their enemies instead of killing them. Make no mistake though, when a fight to the death cannot be avoided, these heroes won’t hesitate to unleash devastating forces on their enemies.

We know that you are thirsting for news and even if we can’t produce a lot of content at the moment due to the press-event, we decided to share with you a bit more of Heroes VII screenshots :)

We will have a lot more of interesting visuals and information to share after the previews so stay tuned!

As usual, Please keep in mind that in those screenshots:

- We didn’t used default camera angle & high to allow a better overview of environments- Armies were set randomly / resources are random- Creatures/Heroes/Items scales are not final at all- There are glitches and work in progress assets- Visual quality is not final too etc.

The following months saw many battles, both in the Bull and Wolf Duchies. The combined armies of Ivan and Stefan even took Chiaroscuro itself, forcing Amílcar to flee to his summer palace, Cornadora, with his mercenary forces abandoning him to his fate. On the 14th day of the Month of the Radiant Crown, with two armies at his gates, the Duke of Bull finally yielded.

Tales of the Ten Years War

850 YSD – The Stag Emperor

An Unexpected Announcement

After the defeat of Amílcar, the alliance between Griffin and Wolf marched west, with the intent of supporting Rowena of Unicorn who was struggling to wage war on two opposite fronts. But soon after they had passed the border between the Bull and Greyhound Duchies, unexpected messengers presented themselves to every single commander, generals, and of course Duke and Duchess. To say these couriers materialized out of thin air would not be an overstatement. They were the Glories of Elrath.

These Light Elementals were often used by the Church of Light when they needed to deliver messages in a timely fashion. This time, the message the Glories were delivering was simple: an Emperor had been chosen. And that Emperor was none other than Seamus na Feidh, Duke of Stag.

The news came as a great shock and surprise to most belligerants, as the Church had remained relatively quiet in the previous years, and after the debacle of the Conclave of the New Dawn, their legitimacy to choose a new ruler for the Empire was heavily disputed. As it turned out, the Church had rallied behind the charismatic figure of Archbishop Wilhelm. A hero of the War of the Broken Staff, Wilhelm had chosen to support Seamus’ claim, and had managed to convince the ecclesiastical authorities to do the same, in the interest of pacifying an Empire that was ripping itself apart.

After seven years of war, the people of the Holy Empire were all too willing to let the Church decide who should rule them in exchange of a return to peace and stability.

Seamus na Feidh, Duke of Stag

Immediately, Enguerrand of Greyhound and Amílcar of Bull put their pride and ambition aside and swore featly to the new Emperor. A few weeks later, under pressure from her people, Rowena of Unicorn had to lay down arms and bend the knee. But while the announcement had effectively brought a temporary end to the fighting, peace was still a faraway dream, as Ivan and Stefan still refused to acknowledge the new Emperor.

The Inner Crusades

Seamus set his imperial court in Horncrest, which was already the capitol of the Stag Duchy. One of his first imperial decrees was to repatriate the Crusader Orders. These regiments were the remnants of the forces that had once hunted the Orc rebels to the ends of the known world. Scattered in the Sahaar Desert and other dangerous areas on the Empire’s borders, the Crusaders had spent the last few centuries keeping a watchful eye on the Empire’s neighbours. Only the Emperor had the power to recall them.

Horncrest, capitol of the Stag Duchy

In a public address amidst the ruins of Falcon’s Reach, Seamus tasked the Crusaders with bringing bread and other resources to the most devastated areas of his dominion, crafting for himself the image of a just and generous ruler. He quickly became popular among the citizens of the Empire.

Ambassadors of the neighbouring nations made the trip to Seamus’ court, to gauge the new master of the world’s most powerful nation. We are lucky that the delegation sent by the Silver Cities included none than Ivan’s old “friend”, Tanis of House Anima. After a few months at Seamus’ court, Tanis began sending Ivan reports of the matters discussed in Horncrest, and what was truly going on in the Stag Emperor’s lands.

Seamus had explained the Crusaders would help restore order and justice in the Empire, as most of the Empire’s armies had been decimated during the seven years of inner conflict. But Tanis’ information made apparent that their real purpose was actually to enforce Seamus’ authority, by force of arms if needed.

A Crusader commander

Many arrests were made to get rid of “seditious elements”. Villages were burnt to the ground for having displayed sympathies towards Ivan or Stefan in the past. While Seamus was distributing bread in one of the Empire’s corner, his Crusaders were perpetrating mass executions in another.

Resumption of Hostilities

Even after Tanis’ reports had been confirmed by my own agents, Ivan was not willing to take any action against the Emperor. There was one last person he wanted to get in touch with before going to war. That person was Nolwenn, Seamus’ eldest daughter, with whom Ivan was in a relationship before the war. Ivan remembered Seamus as a good man that Nolwenn loved dearly -- he needed to know how much of it remained in the man now sitting on the imperial throne.

After many manoeuvres and shenanigans that would be too long and tedious to detail here and now, I managed to arrange a meeting between Nolwenn and Ivan in Talonguard, a castle built by Ivan’s ancestor Anton of Griffin.

Nolwenn na Feidh, Seamus’ daughter

According to Nolwenn, her father had grown obsessed with the idea of becoming Emperor after Maeve’s death. Now that he had achieved his goal, he was subject to frequent mood swings, as well as fits of anger and depression. At first Nolwenn had interpreted this behaviour as resulting from the -- understandable -- stress of his new responsibility, and had been doing her best to appease him. But Seamus was becoming less and less tolerant of his daughters’ kindness, even growing suspicious of her motives. A few days earlier, he had accused her of conspiring against him. Nolwenn was pained to admit it, but her love for her father was turning to fear.

By the time she left, Ivan had made up his mind. Using Talonguard as his base of operations, he would gather his and Stefan’s forces, march on Horncrest and remove Seamus from the Holy Throne. Of course, thanks to the information I had obtained on my end, he already knew that beyond the borders of the Stag Duchy, Seamus was also preparing for war…

]]>
54f5b4a1ca01775e30b7c5cbhttp://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/tales-of-the-ten-years-war-part-8
Tue, 03 Mar 2015 14:18:25 +0100Story & LoreLimbic Entertainment – Introduction Part I
As previously announced, we will be hosting a press event in March with first hands-on. This is an important milestone for the project and the team is doing its bet to provide an exciting demo for the journalist but also for the Shadow Council representatives!

Thus, we might be a bit busy in the upcoming weeks due to the organization of this event and might have to slow down a bit in terms of content during this short period. It is indeed difficult to retrieve information from devs or other members of the team at the current time since their mind is 200% focused on this key event! However, this also means that we will have some cool stuff to share with you afterwards!

For now, we would like to take this opportunity to share with you more information about the studio behind the development of Heroes VII and introduce little by little the different teams through interviews and testimonies.

Please also give a warm welcome to Limbic-Jaelle, she will be the one sharing news and testimonies from the Studio with you all!

Let's start right away with Limbic Entertainment studio overview!

What is Limbic?

Limbic Entertainment is an independent game development studio based in Langen, Germany.

Its core competencies are game design, programming, hosting and maintaining games. Since Limbic Entertainment was founded, the company has released more than 60 product versions, published in more than a dozen languages.

Limbic Entertainment was founded in September 2002 by the former Sunflowers-employees Stephan Winter, Eike Radunz and Alexander Frey.

Regarding the Might & Magic-franchise, Limbic Entertainment worked on both Might & Magic Heroes VI DLCs and Shades of Darkness extension. Besides that, Limbic was responsible for the development of Might & Magic X- Legacy and now Might & Magic Heroes VII.

Why Limbic?

In Latin "limbic" is a term for a part of the central nervous system, which is well connected to the mid brain. The limbic system is associated with certain autonomic functions and various emotions including pleasure, fear and happiness.

That's what we want to achieve with our games as well.

The Location

Some may imagine a Gamedev studio as something really interesting, full of cool people. Well, they are right.

Just a few months ago I entered the building of Limbic Entertainment studios for the first time by myself.

Let me guide you through my experiences.

The building itself

The studio of Limbic Entertainment is located in Langen, right next to the Flight Control. From the outside you can't tell the difference to the other companies in the neighborhood, but you feel it in that very moment, when you're entering the door.

Silver-and-blue dominates the style of the interior. The white walls are covered with posters and artworks all over the place.

Over two floors you'll find the work spaces of the management and bureau staff, level designers, game designers, content creators and game programmers. They count up to almost 70 people – and there will be more!

The art of Limbic

Many work spaces have some special styles, as well as some walls around them. They are as different as their owners. Figurines, pictures, nerdy gadgets or flowers... everybody brought some personality into their surroundings.

Freedom

Beside the kitchen there is a community room as well, where the employees can share their free time together. This happens on lunch break or after work. There are even consoles and Magic the Gathering- cards for gaming! Sometimes there are playing-events for the whole crew.

In summer there's a BBQ-spot as well. Smooth!

Conclusion

Working at Limbic is challenging and boosting as well as fun and inspiring. I hope I was able to get you a glimpse inside the Dev's Location.

Next time, I'm telling you something about Limbic Entertainment, I will spread a few words about the units, which are working on Might & Magic Heroes VII.

Today we have the great pleasure (but also the difficult task) to announce the winners of our Paris Fanday contest!

First of all, we would like to thank you all for your participation! Even after 20 years, the passion remains strong in this community and we received moving testimonies from all over the globe. Most of you discovered this game when they were really young and kept fighting for the best of the franchise since then. We knew that our community was devoted, but it is even clearer today.

Thank you for your true words, your creations and your passion.

Before breaking the news, we would like to remind you that this might not be our last event and we will keep this Council at the center of our attention. All participants will also be rewarded in the upcoming weeks with special bonuses in this website, stay tuned!

This decision really was hard to take and so we are sorry for all the other members that would have deserved to be part of us for this day. We decided to invite a few more people than originally planned but many others have our complete recognition today.

The time has come, you will find underneath the complete list of attendees for the Paris event from the Shadow Council:

GalaadleHaut

BeYo_OnD

Lizard_Warrior

EmeraldPhoenix

JotunLogi

Xiaraz

Roch-Silverfang

Congratulations to all participants!

Don’t forget that this is the list of your representatives so do not hesitate to prepare questions you would like them to ask to the team during the event!

Today we would like to share with you a small update on the game development.

Production is currently in full swing and our team is currently hard at work on the game Alpha. Alpha means a lot of things to a lot of people, so let’s try to explain what we mean by that.

One important stage for any project is to reach a point where all your features are implemented, even in a rough state. Implemented means that now all the important gears are in place and won’t change drastically. They are no more paper-ware, but real pieces of software & systems that interact together to form a coherent whole. At some point, all important part of the game are implemented and that’s what you call an Alpha. At least that’s one of the meanings of the term :)

The team is currently busy on that front. We had in the past few months some important milestones that were designed specifically to reach an Alpha stage on the core gameplay elements.

For example, our December milestone objective was simple in terms of vision but complex to fulfill: delivering a 100% playable map from A to Z with all basic elements and features. That new alpha was quite a success and meant we had solid foundations on which we can build and expand! At the end of this month, we also have a second important milestone that will build upon this Alpha stage through iteration. This also means a good opportunity to ensure great content to come in this blog and we hope that during the coming months, we will be able to show you some of those progresses through articles and videos.

But Alpha also means content. So while the coders are busy building a great piece of software, level designers and writers are buildings great campaigns using our powerful map editor. And at some point, those campaigns will reach an Alpha stage, rough diamonds we will then polish until we get shiny maps for you to play.

In addition to this quick description, we would like to offer you a greater visibility on the current development advancement. Of course this is just a rough summary and not a precise extract from our current sprints and planning.

Please keep in mind that even if some elements are finals (or are close to be), we won’t be able to unveil all of them in advance since they are often linked to additional constraints or decisions.

Adventure map

The full gameplay experience is already present in the adventure map; Heroes are able to ride through different unique settings and interact with many levers including: resources, dwellings, artifacts, interactions with other heroes, scripted events etc. The main interface is almost final but we will continue to improve the UI for all story-telling/fight popups for instance. Maps will continue to offer different layers with deep undergrounds and various exciting universes to explore through the fog of war. Puzzle maps is a working feature but visuals still are in the production process for all factions. Now that fundamentals are strong, we will be able to focus even more on content creation and thanks to our tools, add more and more polish.

Combat map

Combat features also are implemented: Heroes, creatures, animations, spells etc. Even if interface is close to final, we will review the sign-&-feedback elements and improve the integration of key information such as stack number and unit description. We already have a nice range of combat maps, offering great diversity in terms of ambience, layout and size.

Hero Management

Unfortunately it is a bit too early for us to be able to share more information about all “RPG” elements of the game but of course Heroes VII will allow you to develop your Heroes skills and inventories. This part is implemented in the current version of the game but interfaces (hero screen, leveling interface, skill wheel etc.) are work in progress and will be revealed soon.

Town Management

Most elements are here already functional but we will continue to improve some visual elements and interface windows for all recruiting/trade/spying/caravan features in the upcoming months.

Story & Music

The storyline of the game is complete and our writers have been polishing it for almost two years now to offer an exciting campaign mode to the title. You were already able to have an overview of the origins of this story with the Tales of Ten Year Wars articles. As for the soundtrack, all faction themes are achieved and you already had the opportunity to discover some extracts from Paul & Rob amazing work in this website.

Factions

First of all, as you may know if you are following this website on a regular basis, we now have our complete roster for Heroes VII release day. Indeed, the community has been heard and you decided to integrate Sylvan and Dungeon to the tale of Ivan. You have already been introduced to the Haven, Academy and Necropolis line-ups. The next one you will be able to see is Stronghold. It is already fully playable with 3D models and animations implemented. Some polish is still required and we are waiting for a special event to share it with you, but be prepared for something big, wild and fierce! On the art side, the council of Ivan is now complete and you will discover the 6 Councillors and their precious learnings in the coming months.

Level design

Campaigns are at varying stages of production. Some like Haven, Stronghold, Academy and Necropolis are already quite advanced. For instance Haven and Stronghold are close to Beta on some maps, with all the bells and whistles. At the same time, some are more in the planning stage. You remember that our dev team had to wait for the closing of the votes to start working on Dungeon and Sylvan. But don’t worry, as our production planning is set to get them in great shape as the other ones.

Creating new models for a creature is a costly and time consuming process. Indeed, this could imply severe impact on various aspect of the game (gamedesign, animations, campaigns, etc.), that is the reason why we took the time to estimate the cost and impact on game progress.

Nevertheless, the different actors of this development agreed to operate changes on two creatures design: The Lich & the Vampire.

We hope this decision was for the best of the game and the community.

Stay tuned for more information about this topic in the upcoming weeks.
The M&M Team.
]]>
54e5e7c7ca01777b5ee87748http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/necropolis-update-important-information
Thu, 19 Feb 2015 14:40:23 +0100General discussion[Closed] Win an invitation for a special dayThank you all for your participation, the contest is now over :) We will review the entries and contact winners in the next few days!Hello Councillors,

Today, we have great news to share!

Indeed, during the second week of March the M&M Team will have the pleasure to receive a great selection of various gaming magazines and websites from different countries to present the game progress and unveil some new exciting information. This event will allow us to let the press put their hands on the game for the first time and discover the upcoming fierce & wild faction in exclusivity.

First previews of the game should be available after this event so we will do our best to deliver great Heroes experience!

At this occasion, we decided to dedicate one day to the community by inviting some contributors of this platform and M&M VIPs to our place. The objective of this special event will be to give some of you the opportunity to play the game but also meet and discuss with the team as Shadow Council representative!

Unfortunately we won’t be able to invite as many members as we would like to in order to represent this Council but we will start to contact some of you by email in the next few days among the top members of this platform. Due to the fact that we are located in Paris Area, we will give priority to closest members in order to invite a maximum of participants but other events might happen in the future in alternative areas.

However, we also wanted to give all of you a chance to be part of this event and will invite TWO additional members of this Council to join us!
The event will take place near Paris on Friday, March 13th. The winner will be invited by the M&M Team, with all logistic expenses covered (transport, hotel, etc.).

At the menu:

Friday 13

Morning: Arrival

Mid-day: Welcome and lunch

Afternoon: Play and chat with the team

Evening: Diner with the team

Night: Let’s have a drink!

Saturday 14 Return

In order to participate to the contest you just have to share your passion for Might & Magic before February Wednesday 25th 00:00am CET.
To do so, all means are available: you can share in the comments section why you think you are the hardest Heroes fan, share pictures, videos or anything that could support this statement! Originality will be rewarded and even if you are not selected in the end, your contribution will be rewarded through this website.

The jury will be composed of the full M&M Ubisoft Team that will debate of who will join us for this glory day!

Of course, you will be able to share anything you want after this event, including your opinion about the game, the event, the interaction with the team etc. However, we will have to make you sign a non-disclosure-agreement to make sure that no information is shared before embargo time (end of March, exact date to be confirmed). We are sorry for this little counterpart but it is necessary for organizing this event that no information is “leaked” before the press is able to publish their news too. You might also be interviewed/photographed/recorded during this event for the purpose of an article in the Shadow Council.

We wish you all good luck for this event and are looking forward meeting some of you to share our passion all together!

]]>
54e4d67b888ef63223000020http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/closed-win-an-invitation-for-a-special-day
Wed, 18 Feb 2015 19:14:19 +0100CommunityBattles in Heroes VII
This article is about what changes, novelties and also current balancing tasks on Heroes VII’s battle system. You’ll find out the recipe is not really changed but we’re trying to make battles more interesting and varied.

For many of you, some of those elements can appear to be “implicit” but this website is a place for all kind of Heroes :)

1. Tactics phase

We discussed a lot about this feature and found out the tactical phase was too important to be reserved to certain Hero classes with the relevant skill, so in Heroes VII, all heroes can benefit from the tactical phase and deploy their troops according to their own tactics, though some Heroes, thanks to the Leadership skill, can improve the area where they can deploy during this phase.

Positioning your Cabir in the battle map

2. Armies layouts

In Heroes VII, we developed a system to have more flexibility when creating battle maps, which include the possibility to have custom deployment formations for CPU controller armies. It means the “ambush” formations seen in Heroes III are possible, as well as other exotic formation.

3. Boss battle maps

In Heroes VII, we don’t plan at the moment on having bosses because we want to stay in a paradigm of army vs army, so we are focusing on efforts in making unique battle maps using the tools we have developed. That means instead of one 4x4 creature with more health than a thousand champion units, you will fight a regular army, but in a map with specific shape and encumbrance, and with unique positioning of enemies. This will challenge your ability to adapt to a tactical situation that is out of the ordinary, while staying in the normal rules of the game.

4. Initiative

This is one endless topic of discussion, and we had a hard time getting a majority’s opinion from out studies in the community. Some prefer a dynamic initiative like in Heroes V, some prefer the classic “creature initiative-based” system. We decided to go for the latter, while trying to improve it. We know the timing of the Hero action in the turn is a critical element of a battle, and that relying on his creature’s initiative is debatable, but having the Hero in the initiative bar with its own initiative value proved to be impractical during our prototyping phase.

5. Flanking

Flanking in Heroes VII is an experiment which goal is to promote movement during battles and counter natural tendencies to turtling, even if more tools have been developed with that in mind, like more area of effect abilities and spells. Flanking grants damage bonuses to creatures attacking the flank or rear of an opponent. We had originally designed it as more powerful but our first tests have proven it wrong. Flanking is to be used as the main tool of the most mobile units like fliers and teleporters, but should only remain a “bonus” for most creatures.

6. Covers

Cover feature existed in Heroes VI but we tried to make it more obvious and efficient in Heroes VII. We’re working on a system to provide a clear preview of which enemies will have reduced damage when shooting at your creature, when you’re about to place said creature behind an obstacle to take cover. Placing your shooters in cover during tactics phases could improve your chances to rule the fight.

7. Retaliation system

Heroes VII will also feature Retaliation system. All creatures will be able to retaliate after the first melee attack they receive in the turn. Heroes need to be sure that their creatures do not suicide themselves when rushing on weak but devastating enemy units.

8. Defend action

The defend action in Heroes VII has a significant effect on a creature’s defense, making it not only a default action when you can’t do better but a real boost for a defensive tactics.

9. Wait

The wait order moves a creature back in the initiative bar, for the turn. Creature with higher initiative (the slowest) will wait longer than those with low initiative. Fast creature will then always act before slow ones. Each creature can only wait once a turn. This has a critical impact on how to manage enemy retaliations.

10. Hero attack

Heroes can act one a turn during a battle, when one of their creatures has the initiative. The default action is an attack, which is ranged and does not trigger retaliation. In Heroes VII, the power of this attack is currently balanced to allow a starting hero to kill 2-4 core units with one strike and a maximum level hero to be able to kill most champion units with one strike. Of course we will continue to reiterate and adjust those values until the very end of the development.

11. Hero spells and warcries

Heroes have two other major ways of intervening in the battle. Spells are powerful and affect enemy or allied troops immediately or during multiple turns, and they cost mana, so they are limited according to your investment in magic skills and abilities. Warcries are tactical options that grant bonuses to your troops and that can also be upgraded through one skill, reserved only for Might heroes, and warcries cost no mana.

12.Autocombat

Before engaging a battle, you are generally asked if you wish to play it manually or to let the statistics talk and do the job for you. In Heroes VII, we don’t want autocombat to challenge a real player’s ability, so unless the odds are greatly unbalanced, you’ll tend to lose more troops when using autocombat than if you play manually. Of course if you succeed in getting the upper hand and outnumber greatly your opponents, autocombat will allow you to smash your enemies as well.

]]>
54e37bc6888ef6d47900000ahttp://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/battles-in-heroes-vii
Tue, 17 Feb 2015 18:35:02 +0100Game mechanicsAcademy's Magic Heroes
For all the other factions of Ashan, Magic equates to Faith. Magic powers are granted by
the Dragon Gods, through their spiritual servants, to those who offer their worship and
perform the correct rituals. Spells are miracles, gifts from the Gods.

For the Mages of Academy however, Magic is simply a higher form of knowledge that must be
developed through extensive study of arcane lore (mainly the teachings of Sar-Elam) and
a rigorous discipline.

Instead of praying to the Spirits, Mages bend them to their will. The main source of their magic is therefore in the spirits that serve them and the artifacts they create or
collect, in which spirits of all magnitude are bound.

Mages from Academy are masters of all schools of magic with no discrimination. Their search for
power and knowledge gives them access to all existing spells and has led them to
develop new ways to use and combine them.

Magic Heroes from Academy are divided into 3 classes:

Battlemage,

Wizard,

Enchanter.

Battlemage

Battlemages are the masters of destructive magic. Experts of Lightning and Fire, they occasionally use Dark magic in battle. On the side, they are decent explorers and army leaders.

Main skills: Metamagic, Air Magic, Warfare

Wizard

Wizards are the great explorers of the Silver Cities. Great scholars and masters of Prime magic, they are decent administrators and diplomats. Their knowledge of magic is quite impressive, and it is noticeable that they are among the few Masters of Water magic on the surface of Ashan.

Main skills: Metamagic, Prime Magic, Paragon

Enchanter

Enchanters are the defenders of the Silver Cities, wielding unchallenged Earth magic and quite proficient in Light and Prime magic, they are pretty decent explorers, diplomats and scholars.

Many have you have expressed an interest to have a map of Ashan at hand to follow the story of the prequel articles, the Tales of the Ten Years War. The writer of these articles himself has been making an interactive Ashan Map using the website Mashupforge, in order to keep track of the various lands, cities, and other places of interest. Today we are sharing this map with you. It shows the lands of Thallan, the main continent of Ashan, at the time of Ivan’s Council (around 853 YSD).

Please keep in mind that this map was created by one person as a personal “writing aid”. It is constantly evolving, keeping track of the events unfolding in the various games of the Might & Magic franchise. While this map aims to be as canonical as possible, it may still contain a few inconsistencies. Also, some theoretical town locations might change when said towns actually appear in a game.

Use the sidebar on the left to show or hide the various items on the map, and the +/- symbols (or the wheel on your mouse) in the top right hand corner to zoom in and out. And don’t hesitate to click on the icons to display the locations’ names and descriptions (and sometimes pictures).

Looking for guidance, Ivan decided to visit the abbey of Skarena, one of the Empire’s oldest temples of Elrath. Two figures were waiting for him inside. One was an Elf druid, who introduced himself as Tieru. The other was the Angel Murazel, and she was offering to reveal the truth about Sandalphon’s death.

Tales of the Ten Years War

849 YSD – The Hour of Truth

Revelations

Soon after Ivan entered Skarena, the Elf Tieru summoned a Spirit Gate. Stepping through it, Ivan found himself transported to a distant place: one of the secret fortresses the Dragon Knights call the Hidden Houses. It is there, within the safety of these walls, that he would learn the truth.

Ah, I see that some skeptics among you are wondering how I know of their conversation. What kind of Spy Master would I be, if it was so easy to hide things from me? Suffice to say that I have my ways of uncovering information people would like to keep secret.

Know also that what I'm about to reveal is something that can never leave this Shadow Council. Nobody would believe you anyway...

The abbey of Skarena

As it turns out, Tieru was not meeting Ivan as an envoy from Irollan, the Elven realm, but as a member of the Dragon Knights, that elusive group dedicated to preserve Ashan's balance between Order and Chaos. While the Dragon Knights had no intent on getting involved with a civil war, they had a particular interest in the survival of the line of Falcon. Sar-Elam's prophecy made clear that the end of the Falcon bloodline would tip the balance in favour of Chaos, which was not something the Dragon Knights could allow.

Which is why they had offered Murazel shelter when she fled Flammschrein. Because Murazel had not fled Flammschrein alone. She was trying to put Brendan Falcon out of harm's way.

Five years earlier, a boy had been brought to the Conclave of the New Dawn. A hunter had found him in a forest not far from the ruins of Falcon's Reach, living like a beast among the animals. The hunter had brought the boy to Flammschrein, where Murazel and Sandalphon had been able to ascertain he was, indeed, Brendan Falcon. But there were... complications, and because of those, Murazel and Sandalphon decided it was better to wait before revealing the survival of the Falcon heir to the rest of the Conclave.

Someone must have discovered their secret, though, as one night, a group of assassins sneaked in the citadel of Flammschrein, intent on killing the boy. According to Murazel, these assassins were Dark Elves, but Tieru was adamant not to accuse the whole of Ygg-Chall without proof -- a mistake he had himself committed in the past. Murazel's descriptions of the assailants had led Tieru to believe they were part of a group of assassins-for-hire calling themselves the Blades of Erebos, after the great Faceless tactician of the Elder Wars. Sandalphon tried to protect Brendan, but the Blades proved well-versed in the art of fighting Angels, an art they had reputedly learnt from their legendary founder.

Erebos, the legendary Master of Assassins

Knowing she would be no match for Sandalphon's killers, Murazel did the only thing she could think of -- she grabbed the boy and took off in a flutter of golden wings, to seek the help of the Dragon Knights.

Tieru's Plea

Who had hired the Blades of Erebos? Neither Murazel nor Tieru knew with certainty. But they believed it was someone who had access to the Conclave, or had informants within Flammschrein. They didn't think it was a Demon plot. Rather, the act of someone with the ambition of sitting on the throne, which would not have been possible had Brendan been confirmed alive.

The Dragon Knights had observed all the Dukes and Duchesses of the Holy Falcon Empire. Of them all, there was only one they had confidence could not have been the mastermind behind the attempt. And it was Ivan.

But Ivan was not happy with what he was hearing. If Brendan Falcon was alive, why keep it a secret any longer? The civil war had been raging on for years, and countless lives had been lost. Whoever had tried to kill the boy had failed, and it was time for the Falcon to come home. Only then the Empire would know peace.

But Tieru shook his head, and took Ivan to another part of the Hidden House. Brendan's chambers.

Tieru, the Druid turned Dragon Knight

Murazel had mentioned complications. Now Ivan understood what she meant. Brendan was 18 year old, almost a man. But his behaviour was that of a small child. Tieru explained that seeing his whole family massacred by the Demons in front of his young eyes had shattered the boy's mind. This Falcon would never rule.

Ivan finally asked why Murazel and Tieru had brought him to the Hidden House to tell him the whole story. He already knew the answer. Because the Falcon line must continue to maintain the balance, but the Dragon Knights would have it endure in secret, far from the Empire, where no Demon or treacherous Duke can put it -- and the rest of the world -- in danger. Yet the Empire needed an Emperor, and they believed Ivan himself was the best candidate, and therefore deserved to know the truth, to fully understand what was at stake.

When Ivan was brought back to Skarena, he refused to talk about what had happened. His mood was sombre, and so were his thoughts.

An empire at war

The year 849 YSD was the deadliest of the Ten Years War. In the west, the feud that had opposed the Unicorn and Greyhound Duchies had escalated into a three-way struggle following Seamus of Stag's northern invasion. Rowena of Unicorn had decided to push forward and lay siege to Enguerrand of Greyhound's fortress in Whitecliff. But behind her, all the way from the coast of Tirya Bay to the Rose Mountains, all was fire and blood.

In the east, Amílcar of Bull and his Black Guard reinforcements had dug deep into the Wolf's territory, taking Merlon and Stormdale, and marching on Chillbury. Stefan of Wolf had gathered his forces in Kriegspire and was preparing for a counter-attack. But he knew he had lost too many troops to the Orcs in the north. Sooner or later, the Wolf would kneel to the Bull. All he could hope was offer enough resistance to negotiate fair terms with Amílcar.

That's when Murazel appeared in Isegrim, Stefan's castle, with an offer. Ivan of Griffin was ready to pardon the Wolf's attack on his lands and strike an alliance against the Bull armies, if Stefan agreed to recognize Ivan's claim to the Falcon throne. All Wolf territories would be returned to their rightful lord.

What Ivan was offering was more than Stefan could hope from Amílcar, and Ivan knew it. Without even waiting for Stefan's answer, the Griffin armies entered the Bull Duchy and quickly captured the trade city of Waterway. Then he pressed south. The following months saw many battles, both in the Bull and Wolf Duchies. The combined armies of Ivan and Stefan even took Chiaroscuro itself, forcing Amílcar to flee to his summer palace, Cornadora, with his mercenary forces abandoning him to his fate. On the 14th day of the Month of the Radiant Crown, with two armies at his gates, the Duke of Bull finally yielded.

Discover today the Might Heroes of the Silver Cities. Even if Academy is well-known for its magic Masters, there are also powerful warriors and leaders in the desert. All of them have the ability "Metamagic", allowing them to trigger synergies between spells to unleash even more power and destruction on the battlefield.

Might Heroes from Academy are divided into 3 classes:

Blademage,

Alchemist,

Sheriff.

Blademage

Blademages are the warriors of Academy. They wield magic powers but still rely mostly on the might of their troops. Masters of Prime Magic, they prefer offensive spells to any other kind, and harness the full power the magical pyramids.

Main skills: Metamagic, Prime magic, Warfare

Alchemist

Alchemists are the greatest economists of the desert, able to make gold out of sand, they are also amongst the best scholars of Ashan. Decent spellcasters, they focus only on Prime and Water Magic, and remain mostly army generals.

Main skills: Metamagic, Economy, Paragon

Sheriff

Sheriffs are the law officers of the Academy faction, and came to prominence during the Purge of the Necromancers. While they can lead armies on the battlefield, they focus on defense and are the most proficient casters of Light Magic of their faction.

Indeed, for us this website is a platform for mutual respect and passionate exchanges, and we would like first of all to ask you to stay civil and polite at all time.

We do accept passion and criticisms but there is always a way to put things. Some comments in the past few weeks have been way over the line, regarding to the message they were delivering (name shaming for instance) but also the selected words and tones. We do want to promote transparency and free-opinion, but if this becomes necessary, we might have to delete some belligerent messages and lock down posts if things are getting out of hands. Moreover, we won’t also tolerate attacks towards other members of this community. We are responsible for this website and cyber harassment is thankfully becoming a more and more serious matter in our societies. Threatening people online or sharing sexist or racist statements are highly reprehensible actions, and we are determined to keep the Might & Magic franchise with a tolerant and responsible community.

This has nothing to do with the nature of opinions expressed in the comments section, and we would not trade all this overwhelming passion for a quieter website. You are our beloved community (even when you scold us), but some basic politeness would be much appreciated.

Keep in mind it’s not just me Ubi-Nox around here. The whole development team is actively reading your comments. We are a passionate 40+ people strong team, all dedicated to develop a great game already two years in the making. We do not ask you to keep your mouth shut or to agree with each part of our little on-going project, but we really want to keep all the nasty business out of the comment section.

On a side note: Erwan is not directly involved in the actual development of the game. He is the creative director of the brand and helps us staying true to its legacy, but he is not making the call on most of the decisions we discuss on this website. We are. So calling for his firing from Ubisoft is both unacceptable and completely mis-targeted.

Let’s start this week (& month) with some new screenshots of Might & Magic Heroes VII!
It’s been a while since the last batch of screenshots but we hope this will permit you to bear the wait until faction’s videos!

Please keep in mind that those screenshots are work in progress and won’t reflect final quality/ambiance of the game.
Today’s menu:

Adventure map

Combat maps

We would like to also use this opportunity to clarify some elements of the interface of the title. As game content, interface may also differ in the final version of the game.

Unfortunately, today we won’t be able to share with you a “proper” article about the game and thus decided to wait until next week in order to have interesting content ready to be published. Even if no minimum weekly article amount was set on this website, we know that you have been expected something for today, sorry for the inconvenience.

As you may know, the M&M team have been pretty busy in the last few days with the still in discussion situation of Necropolis units but also the release of Heroes III – HD Edition on Steam & iOS/Android Tablets. Of course, different studios have been working on those projects but some of us at Ubisoft are following both of them (some of you might had the opportunity to meet me on H3 Twitch for instance).

However, we would like today to take this chance to come back on some topics while waiting for further festivities.

First of all concerning the website:

We would like to take the time to thank all of you for your investment on this website. When we originally thought about the possibility to implement levelling system in the website, we were totally underestimating today’s figures. We will continue to improve this system and include new rewards but we hope you enjoy this feature as much as we do.

Don’t forget that you can share you fan arts, fan fics & more with the team. Experience bonuses linked to those activities should be added soon.

We take good note of your feedback on the game but also on the website. We started this tool with Might & Magic X – Legacy OpenDev and will continue to improve it with your recommendations in the future. For now we are concentrating our efforts on future updates and pages.

We would also like to remind you that official MMH7 forums are live for several months now, they are available at this address: http://forums.ubi.com/forumdisplay.php/744-Might-amp-Magic-Heroes-VII. However we are at the moment rarely present on this support in order to be able to keep up with the Shadow Council. A link to this forum will be added to the Community “Work-In-Progress” popup in the next few days.

In the meantime, we identified that several members of this Council were asking for a place to chat with their peers. We are currently investigating the possibility to create an IRC channel for MMH7, what do you think about this? Of course we won’t be able to be always connected on this one but we could stop by from times to times and maybe organize dev. chats. Let us know.

Now concerning the content:

We will introduce in the coming weeks articles to present you Limbic-Entertainment studio and give you through interviews and testimonies, more insights about the game development. Some faces that you may already know from Ubisoft team might appear too.

Necropolis townscreen and soundtrack will be unveiled with the dedicated website update for this faction. No official release date at the current time. However please note that the website update will stick to current visual of the creatures and might be updated in the future if necessary.

In the meantime, we are currently working on the Haven video, brief is almost over, we will start capture soon and then will take care of editing

And to finish, you should discover Academy classes in the coming weeks.

On the 22th Day of the Spider Queen, the “Ice Demons” were at Stefan’s door. Led by Kente, Ivan’s Master-of-Arms, the Orcs of the Whitespear clan soon taught the Wolf lord the meaning of fear…

Tales of the Ten Years War

848 YSD – The Blood-Drenched Horns

Long Fangs

Descending from the eastern Griffin mountains in great numbers and seemingly unaffected by the snow and cold, the Orcs won a series of easy victories against the Wolf armies. The towns and villages that had fallen under Stefan’s rule were liberated one after the other, until only Voron Peak remained occupied by the Wolf. Soon, these savage warriors swarmed the hills and forests around the fortress.

While the Orcs had little hope to take Voron Peak, they could keep Stefan trapped. The Orc leader, Kente of the Whitespears, was confident the Wolf would soon tire of his cage, and would then be willing to negotiate his release. All the Orcs had to do was wait and withstand the winter.

As soon as the first signs of spring appeared, Stefan of Wolf agreed to Kente’s terms. The Duke of Wolf and his remaining forces were escorted back to the border of their Duchy, while the Orcs scattered in all major Griffin cities to reinforce their local garrisons. The message was loud and clear: the Griffin’s nest was defended.

Kente took command of a battalion of Orc warriors and rode southwest, to regroup with Ivan’s forces and inform the Duke of what the chieftains of the various Orc tribes had agreed upon.

Blood Pacts

In the meantime, Amílcar of Bull, beaten but not broken, was back in Chiaroscuro and licking his wounds. When he learned about Stefan’s situation, he immediately started thinking of a way to use the Wolf’s error to his advantage. While Stefan was trapped in the north, Amílcar could move his forces east and steal back some long-contested borderlands.

But Amílcar had suffered too many losses. He needed reinforcements – and he needed them fast, or his window of opportunity would close. He was still weighing his options when he was approached by a man, who had somehow avoided Amílcar’s guards. The man’s hair was black as a raven, his skin was pale, and his eyes glowing with a malevolent Green. Amílcar knew what the man was -- a Vampire from the devastated Vale of Heresh, in the far south.

Giovanni

When he was younger, Amílcar had fought the Necromancers of House Eterna in the War of the Broken Staff, nearly losing his life. He had shut away the memories of the horrors he had witnessed, the madness, the senseless devastation. He had somehow survived a close brush with Death, but feeling its unholy breath caressing his face had turned his hair white.

Amílcar didn’t like the Necromancers, but he knew first-hand how powerful the Dark forces they dabbled with could be, and power was something he respected – and needed. So he decided he would at least listen to what the Vampire had to say. Especially as this particular Vampire was a kinsman – or had been, a long time ago. His name was Giovanni dela Segadora.

Giovanni had come to offer Amílcar an alliance, of sorts. The Necromancers would put several legions of Black Guard mercenaries under the Bull’s command. In exchange, all they wanted was Illuma-Nadin. Erected on the border Heresh shared with the Bull Duchy, this Necromancer outpost had been conquered by the Wizards during the War of the Broken Staff, and had been occupied by the Bull’s forces since then. Now the Spider Cult wanted it back.

Amílcar didn’t hesitate long. Black Guard mercenaries were ruthless and knew no mercy, but regardless of their ties with the Deathlords of Heresh, at least they were living beings.

A few weeks later, the reinforced Bull armies launched their assault on the Wolf Duchy.

Between Shadris and Sorleth

By summer, Rowena of Unicorn had conquered a large chunk of the Greyhound lands, and was ready to besiege Whitecliff. Her victory, however, was snatched from her when she received word that Seamus of Stag’s armies had entered the Unicorn Duchy.

Thanks to the wood reserves they had gathered in the past couple of years, the Stag’s war effort had not been impeded by the terrible winter. In fact, while the others Dukes had been fighting each other, Seamus had been reinforcing his own forces. Twintree and Dunmoor were quick to fall before the Stag legions.

A long and difficult siege awaited Rowena in the south, while her own lands were being invaded in the north. The Duchess of Unicorn had been reckless in her warmongering, and she now found herself, as the Elven proverb goes, forced to choose between Shadris and Sorleth.

Ivan too was facing an uneasy situation. Meeting with Kente near the abbey of Skarena, one of the Empire’s oldest temples of Elrath, he learnt that most Orc chieftains had come to help the Griffin Duchy to honour the friendship their ancestor Kraal shared with Ivan’s own ancestor, Slava. They now considered the debt settled, and apart from Kente and a small cadre of warriors, the Orcs would soon return to their mountains and stay out of the “babyteeth war”, as they put it.

Looking for guidance, Ivan decided to visit the abbey, with the faint hope Elrath would show him a sign. Much to his surprise, two figures were waiting for him inside. One was an Elf druid, who introduced himself as Tieru. The other was the Angel Murazel… and she was offering to reveal the truth about Sandalphon’s death.

Since the launch of the Shadow Council, we try to remain faithful to our ambition to create a living platform for the community where everybody is able to receive weekly information and also share its opinion on all topics. Since the early beginning we try to take into account all your inputs and as much as possible consolidate our vision thanks to them. Nevertheless, we can’t open all topics to the vote or discussion in order to make progress in the development on our side.

However, in the last few days we identified an important wave of frustration since the reveal of Necropolis Faction and we would like to assure you through this statement that we are aware of the current situation. The team is studying if some possibilities exist to make changes to some creatureswithout hurting too much our development schedule.

/!\ We do not make any promise here since we still have to study the impact this change could imply on our side before giving a straight answer in a way or another.

It is important to keep in mind that even if we are able to do changes, the line-up (creatures listing & abilities) would remain the same and we would focus on 1 or 2 creatures visuals depending on our opportunities. Also, even with the modified visuals, the creatures would remain consistent with the Ashan universe.

We will get back to you in the following weeks to confirm you whether or not we can make those changes but please keep in mind that if it turns out not to be possible, this would be definitive.

We do take into account and respect your opinion and can only assure you we will do our best to find solutions but whatever our answer will be, we would like to ask for your comprehension and request you to remain civil and polite in the Shadow Council.

Today we are back with the third part of our Community Q&A answers. We selected several questions and asked our Game Designer team to answer them for the Shadow Council. Of course some questions still remain without answers but it is just for the time being so stay tuned!

On a side note, we decided to postpone the Lore Q&A in order to retrieve more questions on this topic and maybe organize live event to answer them for all Might & Magic games in the same time.

Some of those questions already were answered previously but it seems that information was unclear or incomplete.

First of all, please find underneath a quick reminder for the following topics:

Town portal system: In Heroes VII we decided not to keep H6 town portal system. The town portal only allows you to be teleported to this town if you hero have the right spell for this. However, like it was on previous games, this spell only can teleport you to the nearest town.

Necromancy: Necromancy skill again works in a similar fashion as the pre-H6 games (after a battle, fallen enemies join your army as Undead creatures).

1. Will we be able to recruit more than one type of creature on dwellings?

Dwellings in the adventure map will be able to provide more than one type of creatures. A good opportunity for your Hero to reinforce his army before joining a new fight far from his lands.

2. Will it be possible to destroy a building to change your champion choice in town?

It would be too easy to allow the destruction of a single building to give the opportunity to change your champion selection every day. When you decide to build a champion dwelling, you need to have a clear vision of your strategy and if you come to change your mind, you will be of course able to do it but with more consequences. Indeed, all buildings situated in the same “building level” will have to be destroyed to allow new structures. Choose wisely Councillors!

3. How many towns will you be able to conquer?

As many towns as you will find in the map.

4. Will terrain type influence movement?

As they always did before. Your hero will have better movement speed on roads and more difficulties to advance in mountains or rocks.

5. Will there be artifact sets?

Artifacts sets system will be back in Heroes VII. Stay tuned for more details!

6. Will the Tear of Asha (Holy Grail) system be back?

Your Hero will be able to explore the world of Ashan and discover its rarest artefact preciously hidden in the ground. Along his adventures, you will discover new parts of the puzzle and fulfill your quest for the Tear of Asha.

7. Can you give us more details about the Caravan system?

It’s very much like in H5 TOTE, with a refinement to avoid caravans to block town entrances. So basically you can access dwellings from distant places and buy creatures: they are automatically sent to your current location by caravan. Caravans can be attacked, recruited on the fly by their owner.

8. Will there be a week of neutral (bonus grow for neutrals)?

It is a still in discussion topic but why not.

9. Will adventure & combat map offer more diversity?

In addition to great variety in terms of setting, Heroes VII will provide more diversity in terms of sizes for both adventure & combat maps. You will be able to play and create from giant to tiny maps to adapt to your vision and decorate them with thousands of options.

10. What about game pace? Fast combat is here too?

One of the learnings we had from Heroes VI was that the game appeared to be too slow to play and especially with endless combat sessions. With H7, we decided to change this feeling and give the game a better experience but without denaturing it (turn based strategy forever). Fast combat feature also is back.

11. What is the maximum number of player?

Heroes is a 8 players game for a long time now and we kept it that way for the time being. 8 players and colors for both local and online multiplayer modes for instance.

12. Could you give us more information about game modes?

All classical game modes will be present in Heroes VII and we hope we will be able to add something cool to this formula. More on that one later.

13. Will there be improvements on the multiplayer experience?

Yes there will, we think that online multiplayer have a huge potential in Heroes titles and we have a couple of ideas to improve it.

14. Will there be achievements?

Sure.

15. Would you provide a Heropedia in the game?

We already have a huge amount of information about creatures, maps, campaigns etc. We do hope we will be able to stick this somewhere!

16. What about neutrals? Will we be able to play griffins?

Unfortunately we can’t give a lot of information concerning neutrals at the current time. However, Ivan is from the House of Griffin. Do you think he would ride to battle without Griffins in his armies? ;)

You should then be able to play outside campaigns with griffins as neutrals (and integrate them in your maps as much as you want). However for now, we have the pleasure to present you the first official MMH7 neutral creature: The Sea Elf! :)

Click for full size

17. Is there a tutorial?

Yes of course.

18. Will factions have special strengths or weaknesses against other ones?

Each faction will have specific advantages but they are more specificities and it is important to keep in mind that those ones won’t prevent you from defeating any faction if you know how to play.

19. What about sea battles and sea movement?

You will be able to participate to sea battles of course, however at the moment we are not sure if embarking/disembarking in a boat will cancel your movement points or not. We keep the opportunity to tweak this according to gameplay until the end of the development.

20. Will champions have different costs?

Yes they will, different costs and required resources. However it is too early to give you precise figures for now, balancing will be taken care of until the very end.

21. Will Heroes influence Warfare Units?

You will be able to develop specific skills and buildings to enhance the use of your warfare units.

22. Fog of war system?

Same one as always.

23. Will there be more adventure map spells?

We don’t have final amount of adventure map spells settles yet, however we can confirm that for now we have more of those than in Heroes VI.

Following yesterday’s website maintenance, we decided to finish the week by revealing all the remaining creatures of the Necropolis line-up!

In this article you will discover all Elite and Champion creatures of the Necropolis line-up. This time, we used their non-upgraded version as illustration. The first article, dedicated to the Core unit, has also been updated for better quality screenshots.

We would also like to time the time to explain the meaning of both purple and green colours in this line-up. In Heroes VII factions won’t have as strong colour schemes as in Heroes VI, but we sometimes use specific colours because they are associated with the magic schools of Ashan:

“Neon” Green: this colour is associated with Necromancy and the Namtaru Venom, and is therefore still present in the eyes of Vampires and Liches.

Purple: this colour is associated with Dark magic, and touches of it are present on weapons and creatures imbued with this particular type of magic.

It is now time to raise the curtain for the Necropolis creatures and announce you the great return of the Bone Dragon. Moreover, we are pleased to finally be able to unveil one of our new favourite champion creatures: the Grim Rider!

ELITE 1 LAMASU

Kaspar’s comment: “My good friend Yashar is the ‘humble embalmer’ who found how to revive mummified Lamasus. They contributed to the Demons’ defeat during the wars of the Second Eclipse.”

ELITE 1U PLAGUE LAMASU

Kaspar’s comment: “As a healer, I cannot condone the use of Plague Lamasus. They are one of the reasons I eventually left Heresh.”

Lamasu

ELITE 2 LICH

Kaspar’s comment:
“The Inquisition would tell you Liches are evil sorcerers who are twisting Asha’s laws for their own gain. Yet I am a Lich myself, and it is the desire to have the time needed to comprehend the wonders and mysteries of Asha’s creation, to become a better healer, that drove me to choose Undeath.”

ELITE 2U ARCHLICH

Kaspar’s comment:
“…That said, power-hungry Liches and Archliches definitely exist. Sandro, the so-called ‘Great Lich’, comes to mind. But he has rejected the ways of the Spider Goddess in favour of another source of power. What he has become might be much more dangerous than anything found in Heresh. Would I call him ‘evil’, though? Good and evil are such Elrathian concepts…”

Lich

ELITE 3 VAMPIRE

Kaspar’s comment:
“Vampires become what they are by drinking Namtaru Venom, but there is also another way. Only the highest-ranking and most powerful Necromancers master this ‘Ritual of the Night’, which can forcibly return a soul into its recently-deceased corpse. The soul must be willing to return, though, or there’s a chance the reborn Akhkharu will be a bloodthirsty monster...”

ELITE 3U VAMPIRE KNIGHT

Kaspar’s comment:
“The most zealous Paladins of Elrath would resent calling these Undead warriors ‘knights’. They haven’t met Sir Jaywoods, gallant and chivalrous from the point of his boot to the tip of his sword, and yet fully and truly dead. Last time I heard about him he had even embarked on some heroic quest in faraway lands!”

Vampire

CHAMPION 1 BONE DRAGON

Kaspar’s comment:
“I’ve witnessed incomplete Bone Dragons ‘cannibalize’ other corpses in order to find the raw materials needed to replace their lost parts. Most of the time the awakening beast will meet its needs with the bodies lying about on the battlefield upon which it found its demise…”

CHAMPION 1U SPECTRAL DRAGON

Kaspar’s comment:
“The great Archon Belketh, the Angel of Death, was the first to discover how to bind a Spectral Dragon using a Circle of Submission.”

Bone Dragon

CHAMPION 2 GRIM RIDER

CHAMPION 2U GRIM REAPER

Kaspar’s comment:
“Sometimes, when night descends on the Academies of Magic, nervous students tell stories of the Grim Reapers, how there’s actually nothing under the hood, how they have become Wraiths, beings of pure Death and Darkness. The Acolytes laugh and shrug it off, but they keep a lit candle in their room afterwards. Just in case…”

Grim Rider

]]>
54c27ddb888ef6293000001chttp://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/necropolis-line-up-reveal-p2-3
Fri, 23 Jan 2015 17:59:06 +0100General discussionAcademy update now available!The time has finally come! The Academy update (https://mmh7.ubi.com/en/factions/academy) is now available along with gamification features!

You might experience some glitches during the following hours (including avatar issues for instance). In the meantime, we will continue to improve those features in the long run so experience management might evolve in the future. For more information about new features please refer to the following article: https://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/website-upc...

Thank you for your support and sorry for the downtime of this day.

Best Ubi-Nox.
]]>
54c12b86888ef62177000007http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/academy-update-now-available
Thu, 22 Jan 2015 17:55:33 +0100General discussion[UPDATED] Necropolis Line-Up Reveal, P1
Necromancers are a split-order of the Wizards. They worship one of the aspects of Asha, which they call the Spider Goddess. The Necromancers’ interpretation of Asha’s will emphasizes death alone and exalting the state of un-life which the Necromancers seek to attain.

Necromancers study death-magic to become eternal. They can control the spirits of the deceased or raise the dead form their graves. High-ranking Necromancers become Vampires: eternally young, beautiful and powerful, but as cold and insensitive as alabaster statues.

Since its introduction in Heroes II, the Necropolis has been one of the most popular factions of the Might & Magic universe. They are of course back in Heroes VII!

Before unveiling the first creatures of the Necropolis line-up, we’d like to take a few moments to discuss something you’ll quickly notice: several creatures of the Heroes VII Necropolis are very similar to their Heroes VI counterparts. There are several reasons for this:

Here at Might & Magic HQ, we’re very fond of the H6 Necropolis, and we feel they are one of the best factions of that game in terms of art direction. So we didn’t want to recreate it from scratch

Necropolis is the timeless, undying faction. If one faction should remain very similar, art-wise, from one game to the next, it’s the Undead.

The H6 models were already very detailed, so there was no point in doing new models for essentially the same designs.

Now that being said, there have been a few changes nonetheless. Some models have received some small tweaks, several textures have been reworked, and there are new animations as well.

And of course, the gameplay is a bit different as well. The H7 Necropolis won’t play the same way the H6 Necropolis did – in fact, if you’re an old-time fan of the faction, you’ll be delighted to know the Necromancy skill again works in a similar fashion as the pre-H6 games (after a battle, fallen enemies join your army as Undead creatures). But we’ll tell you more about it in a future update ;)

You can also rest in peace: there will be some surprises in the line-up.

For a change, you will discover these creatures directly in the game’s engine. But don’t worry, Necro fans, we’ll have some cool artworks to share with you later.

After all, don’t forget the Necromancers’ motto: Asha uses all!

CORE 1 SKELETON

Kaspar’s comment: “Used for labour and war by the Necromancers, skeletons are nonetheless rather fragile bodies and cannot withstand much damage.”

CORE 1U SKELETON HOPLITE

Kaspar’s comment: “Skeleton Hoplites are not afraid of death. After all they have long since stared it in the face!”

CORE 2 GHOST

Kaspar’s comment: “Necromancers recruit and employ Soul Hunters who scour the surface of Ashan seeking these lost souls. Soul Hunters themselves cannot control these ghosts; their role is to subdue and chain them using guardian glyphs, psychic cages, sometimes even magical chains.”

CORE 2U BANSHEE

Kaspar’s comment: “Obtained through long and difficult rituals, Banshee Tears become virulent poisons in the hands of Necromancers. The despair of a Banshee dissolved in a glass of wine will kill a king more surely than a sword or dagger.”

CORE 3 EBON SPIDER

Kaspar’s comment: “Here’s one aspect of House Eterna I was never too fond of. Despite all my respect for Asha in her Spider Goddess aspect, I must confess arthropods make my skin crawl…”

CORE 3U DEATH SPIDER

Kaspar’s comment: “Some scholars in Nar-Heresh have been studying Death Spiders for decades and believe these creatures have been blessed by the Spider Goddess and are actually slowly transforming into full-fledged Namtarus. They however claim we’ll have to wait a few more centuries before we can verify this theory...”

It’s been a long time since I gave you details about the members of Ivan’s council. I already told you about the Angel Murazel and the Wizard Tanis. It’s now time for me to tell you about Anastasya, whom Ivan often calls “Aunt” (much to her annoyance). She and I have known each other for ages, and I would trust her with my life. In fact, I already have, a long, long time ago…
Anastasya was born centuries ago, a few years before the Second Eclipse. She was the youngest daughter of Duke Slava and Duchess Cate of Griffin. Charming, happy, trusting... She would have been all these things had it not been for a single accursed moment: the assassination of her father by her own hand. In spite of the intervention of her mentor (and lover), the now-infamous Archangel Uriel, pledging the crime was not of her own willing, she was delivered to the Holy Inquisition to be questioned. Her older brother Anton, all too aware of what the Inquisition would do to her to obtain a confession, chose to kill her instead.

But as you already guess, death was not the end of her, only a new beginning. Her body was smuggled away and resurrected by her great-aunt Sveltana, a Necromancer of the Seven Cities. Now part of the Undead, Anastasya decided to investigate the circumstances of her father’s death, an event she only possessed confused memories of.

She eventually discovered that the puppet master was none other than Uriel himself, who had been scheming to rekindle the fires of the Elder Wars, by accusing the Faceless of the foul deed. Enraged by what she had discovered, Anastasya decided to repay him in kind, using the same artefact he had used against her, this time to take control of his mind. Unable to control his body and defend himself, Uriel was gruesomely ripped to shreds by Demons. Anastasya and her siblings later made sure Uriel’s machinations became widely known to the populace of the Empire, leading what would be called the Charter of the Griffin, the separation of the Church and the State. But that’s another story.

In time, Anastasya drank the venom of the Mother Namtaru, an avatar of the Spider Goddess, becoming a Vampire. But contrary to most Necromancers, she refused to shun her ability to feel emotions. After succeeding Sveltana as House Eterna’s Hierophant, she married Lord Vein, a Vampire knight with a troubled past. Together they adopted a living daughter, Zakera, a spirited girl whom Vein had rescued from a massacre perpetrated by his former brother-in-arms, now nemesis – the Nethermancer, Sandro.

When Sandro tried to erase the Mother Namtaru from existence, Anastasya, due to her connection to the mystical creature, fell ill and almost died. Fortunately, Vein and Zakera were able to thwart Sandro’s plans. The Nethermancer escaped, but Anastasya recovered.

Anastasya still looks like a 17 year-old teenager, but her eyes are old and cold, and she talks with the cynical wisdom and grim acceptance that comes from surviving untold trials and tragedies. The once naïve and hopeful girl is now a harsh and sarcastic woman, although she still displays, from time to time, a bit of that youthful enthusiasm and curiosity that she once possessed in spades. Believed dead (again) during the Purge of the Necromancers that ripped the Seven Cities apart a few decades ago, Anastasya returned from her self-imposed exile to assist Ivan, her brother Anton’s descendant, in his struggle. She realizes she is now playing the role Sveltana once fulfilled for Slava – the irony is not lost on her.

Welcome to the second part of this community Q&A! Today’s topic: Production.

First of all, what is Production? To make it short, the production is the area covering development follow-up and prioritization of the tasks. They are also in charge of game development project management but aren’t the one that decide how game features works which is the domain of Game Designers.

We are coming on step closer to the main dishes of this Q&A that will be the GameDesign article. Indeed, it seems that as Heroes fans you had many questions about game mechanics and our choices regarding this area. We are looking forward sharing our answers with you!

Some of those questions already were answered previously but it seems that information was unclear or incomplete.

1. Will you modify size of the Hero in the adventure map and creatures in combat?

This point could evolve until the very end of the development but we might tweak a little some of those elements to make them more coherent with the rest of the universe. Concerning creatures in combat map, they will keep their own existing tile number but the actual “scale” of those creatures might change within those boundaries.

2. Can I play offline with full game content?

As already mentioned previously, the game will only requires a one-time activation and then will be fully playable offline. Of course, if you want to play online multiplayer mode, you will need to be connected.

3. Will creatures have different animations, including funny ones?

You might have already discovered them in the Haven faction page but yes, all creatures will have special animations including idle and funny ones.

4. Will we be able to disable combat “cool-cams”? (Introduction fly-over, critical etc.)

You will be able to fully disable those effects but also to tweak their frequency of appearance if you prefer.

5. What about day/night and weather effects?

There won’t be day & night cycles in Heroes VII since the game is a turn based experience where you move to another day at the end of your turn. However, it is possible to select the tilt of the sun in the editor so you should be able to create night maps with special bonuses or handicaps in your map settings. Concerning weather effects, you will be able to enjoy for example some: snow, rain or sandstorm, however those ones won’t have direct impact on gameplay.

6. What was the hardest part of this development?

We think that this question should be answered regarding two aspects:

Philosophy: with Heroes VII, we really wanted to offer the best of Heroes experience, focusing on core gameplay strength of the series. To do so, our Game Designers spent months and months to identify what would be for H7 this magical recipe and how to really implement it in the game.

Technology: definitely it would be the map editor. We have as any Heroes fans, huge expectations for this tool and we did our best to follow this vision. In addition to a great Heroes experience, the map editor is the one key to make the game live longer and longer.

7. Will Heroes 7 factions be as color-coded as Heroes 6 ones?

This was a particularly important feedback we received on the previoustitle and decided to design H7 creatures in order not to reproduce this. We hope we managed to reduce this feeling and offer diversity with Haven faction for instance.

8. Will there be Legacy Heroes in Heroes 7?

Certainly.

9. Will there be cinematics in Heroes 7?

There will be cinematics in H7 but they will have a complete different look & feel from the ones we had in Heroes 6.

10. Will there be a gamepad support for Heroes 7?

Not sure if it is a true question or not but unfortunately we have to say no for this request. This isn’t a priority for us at the moment since it would require a total rethink of the Heroes gameplay. We are foremost a PC title (and proud of that), and so the game is solely designed and optimized for the holy Mouse & Keyboard ;).

11. Will modders be able to create their own factions?

Extreme modding is something we want to support, but right now we don’t want to make any false promise. Hang in there!

]]>
54b9289d888ef6ec36000001http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/community-q-a-our-answers-p2
Fri, 16 Jan 2015 16:05:01 +0100General discussionHaven's Magic Heroes
Hello Councillors,
It is time to discover the second half of the Heroes classes from the Haven faction!

As their fellow Might comrades, they master Haven trait Righteousness, allowing them to take advantage from impressive bonuses morale during fights. However, they are of course better specialists in the field of spell casting and even if Light Magic appears to be a basic knowledge for the majority of them, some do not share the same vision and prefers to make the fire talks.

Magic Heroes from Haven are divided into 3 categories:

Inquisitors,

Priests,

and Confessors.

Inquisitors

Inquisitors are the weapons of Elrath. Not only do they master the power of Light Magic, in order to heal and protect their own, but they can also unleash terrible spells of destruction from the school of Fire. If they are less focused on brute force than their brothers in arms, the Vindicators, they still possess pretty decent skills for battle.

Main skills: Righteousness, Warfare, Fire Magic

Priests

Priests are the most common religious men of their faction. Masters of Light Magic, they are beacons of hope and salvation on the battlefield, but they are also skilled administrators, travellers and diplomats.

Main skills: Righteousness, Light magic, Prime magic

Confessors

Confessors are the shields of Haven, masters of defense and Light Magic, their powers can protect the armies of the Empire from the most terrible enemies, users of Dark Magic above all.

Today we have the great pleasure to introduce you Haven’s Might Heroes!

With Heroes VII, we decided to keep the traditional Might & Magic classes separation. Each hero will be whether Might or Magic of course but subcategories also exists, allowing different skill wheel paths and additional abilities linked to their specialties.

Even if Might Heroes can cast spells, they aren’t the best in this area of course (that’s why Magic Class is for) and would rather prefer to use warcries.

Might Heroes from Haven are divided into 3 categories:

Vindicators,

Knights,

and Paladins.

VINDICATOR

Vindicators are the most offensive of the Haven heroes. They rely on the sheer force of their blades to win battles. Masters of warcries and offense, they also have strong leadership and warfare skills. They are decent explorers and users of Light Magic, and even capable of casting the occasional fireball to clean the battleground.

Main skills: Righteousness, Warcries, Offense

KNIGHT

Knights are the most typical Haven heroes. Well balanced, they have the strongest leadership skill of all classes. Trained to be rulers and lords, they are skilled in in diplomacy and display a great ability to administrate kingdoms. They also get a basic magic education, mostly from the school of Light.

Main skills: Righteousness, Leadership, Economy

PALADIN

Paladins are the enlightened warriors whose path is guided by the holy light of Elrath. Masters of defense and diplomacy, and skilled in Light Magic, their strength is focused on protecting their armies and their people. However, they should not be under-evaluated as competent fighters and battlefield heroes.

Today, we have the great pleasure to come back to you with the first part of our answers for the community Q&A. Indeed, while processing the numerous questions you shared with us, we identified 4 main categories to distribute them:

Communication

Production

Gamedesign

Lore

We will in the following weeks answers those different categories and starting right away with “Communication” questions!

Again, we are sorry for not being able to answer all of your questions as announced previously, we had to make some choices but do not worry, all of your interrogations will find answers soon or later ;) Even if we do want to share the maximum with you, we have also constraints in terms of reveals and production. As soon as information is available, you will be the first ones to know!

Some of those questions already were answered previously but it seems that information was unclear or incomplete.

1.The Shadow Council

a. Why are you doing the Shadow Council?

Some of you may remember Might & Magic X – Legacy OpenDev. We started this co-creation platform development with this title because we wanted to share more information about the game to the fans than traditional “marketing campaigns” but also allow them to be part of the development of this “back from the dead” series (last opus released in 2002). After this experience, we decided to continue this adventure and go even further with Heroes VII and the Shadow Council. This website’s objective is to reunite in one place all information about the title and give you the opportunity to comment every bit or vote for some key elements of the game (such as the Factions for example). Moreover, after the feedback we received with last opus, we decided to learn from our mistake and develop the game with you and share our progress in transparency to create together a new Heroes reference.

b. Why are you doing votes?

When we started the development of the game, we decided to leave some room open to the choice of the community. Since we wanted to go for a real community orientation through this website, we knew that votes were the best way to involve the community in the decision making process. Indeed, votes are the most “democratic” way to take into account the opinion of everybody. Of course we were not able to open every topic to the vote because we needed to make progress on the title in the meantime but we really wanted to give you the opportunity to make significant decisions from the early beginning and not provide only cosmetic choices. For instance, voting of the 2 factions nearly represent a third of the game content in terms of visuals and 3D models/animations etc. Furthermore, we also wanted to expand the scope of those votes with collector content decisions etc.

Finally, it is important to note that our objective with those votes isn’t to cut off content and sell it afterward on DLC. We had to make a decision between 6 factions for the game regarding our budget and planning, we just wanted you to choose your preference :)

c. Will the Shadow Council stop after the release of the game?

As long as Heroes VII will live, the Shadow Council will. The release of the game only is a milestone (a very important one :)).

2. Technical warning

One of our objectives by using Unreal Engine 3 for the development of Heroes VII is to be able to offer a quality experience and support for a majority of hardware. We were also able to create powerful tools for the game development and future User Generated Content. However, please keep in mind that the game is a 2015 3D title and might be difficult to run properly on too old systems (even if those ones can run Heroes III ;)). For optimal rendering, the team would recommend you to use 64 bit OS. Stay tuned for more information on this topic.

3. Beta access

Can’t say right now, but would you like it? :)

4. Add-on

It is too early to confirm whether or not there will be add-ons for Heroes VII since the game still is in development but you all know how a Heroes title lifetime works. If we met success and support, add-ons should come at the right time and with the right content.

5. Collector

Many of you asked us for more information about the MMH7 Collector edition. While you voted for the majority of its content, final design still is a surprise and from what we can tell right now, it is a really exciting edition! Unfortunately that’s all we can say right now but we can assure you that we fought hard to provide a wide distribution channel ;)

6. Will there be a map editor for Heroes VII?

Yes, and more. It is too early for us to share all information on this topic but we are constantly improving our tools and already started to test them with selected M&M VIPs :). Our goal is to provide accessible tools that everybody could use to create maps in a few minutes but also many options and features for power users.

7. Gameplay video

It is true that it has been a while since our last video presentation of the game. We are currently working on videos in order to show you the actual flow of the game and how what we already presented to you really like in engine. It should take us some time to prepare those videos but our aim is to offer at least one video per faction until the release of the game.

8. Next faction reveal?

Someone from Ivan’s family should approach soon to share her knowledge and wisdom.

9. Release date

When it will be finished :) Game development will continue for a few months and then we will enter into the debug and polish period. As soon as this one is complete, the game will be officially released. Our objective didn’t change since Gamescom announcement: 2015.

10. Will there be a revote for Sylvan line-up?

We gave through this website the opportunity to vote for the Sylvan line-up between 3 choices and followed the decision of this vote after removing of duplicate ballots. Due to production planning, a revote wouldn’t have been possible without threatening the end of the development. We decided to go for a 2 step vote for Dungeon in order to answer community recommendations for the following vote. The team already started to work on Sylvan line-up for the game so there won’t be any additional vote for this topic.

11. Will you change the townscreens for new 3D models?

Back in 2006, 3D townscreen implementation was a so-so appreciated feature and it appears that a majority of players preferred us to stick to 2D models. Indeed, even if they were visually impactful, they quickly appeared to be inconvenient and did not offer the same feeling as traditional townscreen management (where you select your building directly and no go through the interface only to make actions). With this in mind, we made the decision to continue in the 2D direction and allow this important part of the budget to secure key features, game launch and support. Actual townscreen still are work in progress but no technology swift will be operated.

12. Will there be unique mounts per faction?

Our objective is to offer a different experience with all Heroes VII Factions through unique characteristics and identities. However, due to production constraints in order to be able to release the game in time and with sufficient polish, we are not able at that time to offer creatures such as elephants as mounts. In addition to new 3D models, the whole mount animation and interaction systems would have to be entirely retaken. However, you might have some surprises in the next few months while discovering upcoming faction mounts. We didn’t say that they will all be simple horses, did we? ;)

We hope this first article offered interesting answers and leads to your questions :) Next part will focus on Production topics, including for example: Offline gaming, map sizes, game pace etc. See you soon Councillors!

This year of 2015 is an important milestone for the Might & Magic series and for all of us. Indeed, 20 years ago, NWC gave birth to a franchise that became along the years a pillar of the turn based strategy genre.

After the creation of King’s Bounty, a choice was made to expand the Might & Magic universe to this genre and this leading to the release of “Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest” on August 31st 1995. Solid roots and game pillars were built around: Strategy, Economy, Combats and RPG.

Since then, the series managed to conserve its place of reference in the heart of turn based strategy gamers with 6 epic titles and many extensions offering hours and hours of fun during those last 20 years.

This year, we would like to celebrate with all of you this great momentum with a retrospective of all those great games and universes in the following months. Moreover, 2015 will also be a great year to play Heroes with upcoming Heroes 3 HD Edition (January 29th) and Heroes VII!

This is only the beginning of the celebrations but do not hesitate to share your best Heroes memories Councillors!

What are magic guilds?

They are buildings that players can build and upgrade in their towns. They are available in all towns of all factions, although the guilds in Academy towns can be improved to offer more spells to visiting heroes, by building an Arcane Library.

What do they do?

Teaching spells, that’s what magic guilds do!

Magic guilds can be upgraded from level 1 to 4, by spending gold and different resources, depending on the faction.

Each level of the magic guild grants four spells, plus another per level if an Arcane Library has been built. Which means a total of 16 spells for a fully upgraded magic guild in any town, and 20 for an Academy town.

What spells do they provide?

Each town’s magic guild provides a random set of spells, although a map creator can change that for a fixed list.

Most factions have preferred magic schools and also refuse to teach certain magic schools in their towns. That’s why, for instance, a Haven magic guild will never teach Dark magic spells, but will always teach at least one Light magic spell for each level of the guild.

How do you learn a spell?

When a hero visits a town, he acquires automatically the spells from its magic guild, as long as he has the necessary skills to cast them.

Each magic school is a separate skill. Some heroes may have access to many magic schools, and may invest many points in them, to be able to learn high-level spells, and increase their mastery of magic. Academy heroes are the ones who can master all magic schools. For Wizards, there is no such thing as a restricted school of magic :).

Level 1 spells however do not require any skill to be learnt. For higher spell levels, you need to possess the corresponding skill rank. For instance, to learn a level 4 Light magic spell, you need to own the third rank in the Light magic skill (Master).

Can heroes learn spells outside magic guilds?

Yes. Some heroes can teach spells to others. However their students needs the prerequisite skills as if they wanted to learn from a magic guild.

Some heroes have a talent that allows them to learn spells by observing their opponents casting them!

Spells can also be learnt by visiting specific buildings on the adventure map.

The spell hunt

The goal of this system is to have heroes collect spells during their adventures, trying to fill their spell book and gain power in the process. Investing in magic skills becomes a risk, if you don’t find the spells you need, but that’s part of the game! And if you don’t have those spells in your home town…maybe you need to pay a visit to your neighbour.

We hope you had a great time during those end of year celebrations. The team is pleased to welcome you back on the Shadow Council for a new year of Might & Magic! We wish you all the best for this new year and this includes Heroes VII of course :)

Let’s start 2015 among the Haven faction to explore the townscreen of the soldiers of light, center of your strategy to develop your armies and expand your territory.

Please keep in mind that all visuals and elements are work in progress and this until the end of the development! This article only focus on main buildings of the townscreen but the game will offer more variety and options in final version so stay tuned!

Concerning community Q&A, the team is currently reviewing selected topics, stay tuned in the following weeks to discover our answers! Thank you again for you passion and support!

Click for full size

Dwellings:

Core Creatures

Marksman Tower: Allows to recruit Marksmen

Beast Den: Allows to recruit Silverbacks

Garrison: Allows to recruit Legionnaires

Elite Creatures

Proving Grounds: Allows to recruit Cuirrasiers

Justicar's Tower: Allows to recruit Justicars

Cathedral of Light: Allows to recruit Abbots

Champion Creatures

Halls of Glory: Allows to recruit Swordmasters

Transept of Elysium: Allows to recruit Celestials

Warfare Units

Convent of Elrath: Allows to recruit a Healing Sister

Blacksmith: Allows to buy a Ballista

Buildings:

(non official segmentation :))
Heroes Buildings

Hall of Heroes: Allows to recruit Heroes

Magic Guild: Allows Heroes to learn spells (4 levels)

Choral of Believers: Light magic spells cast by a hero inside the town's area of control are cast on the next higher rank

Embassy: +X% chance for negotiation with neutral armies inside the town's area of control

Horse Stables: Increases visiting hero's movement points by X until end of the week

Additional Heroes related buildings

Thieves Guild: Provides the town screen window to spy enemies and give overview of the game status

Town Portal: Allows Heroes to be teleported to the town (with the right spell) In Heroes VII we decided not to keep H6 town portal system. The town portal only allows you to be teleported to this town if you hero have the right spell for this. However, like it was on previous games, this spell only can teleport you to the nearest town.

Resources Buildings

Marketplace: Provides the town screen window to trade resources

Resource Silo: Produces random resources each day

Alchemist Lab: Provides one unit of starsilver each day

Fortifications:

Castle: Equips the town with walls and gates in siege combats. Equips the town with level 3 local guards

Artillery Range: Regenerates destroyed ballistas and equips the town walls with shooting towers. Provides the town with 3 towers in siege combats.

Town Hall Upgrades

Capitol: Raises the daily income to 4000 gold / day. There can be only one Capitol per player and per map

It has been already 4 months since the announcement of Might & Magic Heroes VII at Gamescom.

Since then, we had the great pleasure to share and live with you the development of the game. This platform has been more than a website for us and it was particularly exiting to be able to share even more with all Heroes fans. As you may know, this is not always easy to share such amount of information because it can be perceived as a risk since those are work in progress documents and assets.

However today we do not regret this decision and the whole team would like to take the time to thank you all for your great support and commitment on this Shadow Council.

Indeed, more than 80 articles were published (including 11 votes) in this –relatively- short period and we received almost 90K comments! This is particularly impressing and even if creating content for this website is a heavy task, we know this is worthy thanks to you all.

There were also some inevitable hot topics from times to times but we do hope that our vision for Heroes VII will continue to give you interest and don’t worries we still have some great surprises to show you in the following months!

End of the year celebrations are coming close and after this intense period the website team will take some holidays to restore their batteries and come back on January even stronger than ever! Thus, activity will be reduced for the next two weeks but we will continue to monitor your comments as always.

Nevertheless, we know that we can’t “disappear” without offering you one last gift for this great year of 2014. We heard your trustful passion and since our objective is to provide “The best of Heroes”, we decided to implement something that has been highly requested recently.

Available as an option that you will be able to enable or disable, the team implemented for the new milestone a specific feature that we know many of you have been eagerly waiting for… We are sure you already understood which one we are talking about and we can hear your voices in our heads chanting “#GURS #GURS #GURS #GURS”!

YES! Yes, Random skills will be available in Heroes VII! As an option for the ones who want it and the ones who don’t :)

Aside note on this topic: Please keep in mind that we do not support spamming and the objective of this website is to present all aspects of the game and receive various and unique feedback from all players. Random Skills was a still in discussion topic and we won’t be able to change already implemented features or decisions.

We hope that this great news will allow you to bear the wait until January! Again from the whole team, thank you very much for your passion and your great support! We wish you all amazing end of year celebrations!

See you soon Councillors!

]]>
549450ec888ef65136000001http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/end-of-the-year-special-gift
Fri, 19 Dec 2014 17:23:08 +0100General discussionFrom Heroes III to Heroes VII
As any good heir to a long dynasty, Heroes VII feeds upon a long history of predecessors, including the beloved third installment, known to be most appreciated amongst all.

This article shows how the design of Heroes VII reflects some aspects of its illustrious ancestor.

Combat calculations:

Combat calculations system is very similar to H3’s. The difference between two opposed unit stacks is based on their respective attack and defense value. This difference generates a multiplier to the damage dealt from the attacker, which is subtracted to the stack’s health of the defender.

In Heroes VII, hero’s stats simply are added to creatures ones, allowing players to easily grasp the interest of a spell or an ability (for instance, if an ability gives a +5 attack bonus, the target receive a +5 bonus to its stats and that’s it).

Hero stats:

Now that we introduced the calculation topic, it is the perfect timing to go deeper on the hero’s stats!

In Heroes VII, we decided to go back to the roots of this area and reduce stats to 7. The functions of these are similar to those in Heroes III, with the addition of the hero damage (since the hero can attack a stack directly).

Might (adds to creature attack)

Defense (adds to creature defense)

Magic (increases the power of spells)

Spirit (increases the mana pool)

Leadership (adds to creature morale)

Destiny (adds to creature luck)

Damage

Luck and morale:

Luck and morale are prominent in heroes VII. You can play with those as actual game changers. Factions like Haven can bet their victory on their high morale, granting additional actions, and therefore additional damage. Undeads can play their debuffing abilities to send their enemies into negative morale, sometimes forcing them to miss a complete turn!

Luck can be boosted to deal critical attacks but also lowered to cause fumbles (critical failure) and low damage!

Warfare units:

In memory of the ballista and healing tent, Heroes VII brings back the same game function in more faction-specific style, and therefore changes names. As introduced previously with Heroes VI, they can be machines or creatures and are unique per army. Heroes can specialize in their use and buy buildings to empower them.

The attack unit is the heir of the ballista : it’s a ranged damage dealing machine or creature.

The support unit is the heir of the healing tent : it buffs or heals creatures in the army.

The siege unit is the their of the catapult : it attacks a town’s wall to create an opening.

Magic:

The magic guild and spell acquisition in Heroes VII is deeply inspired from Heroes III, and will be the topic an upcoming article. Stay tuned!

Creature abilities:

In Heroes VII, creatures tend to have less abilities, and use more passive abilities similar to those found in Heroes III (e.g.: Medusa attacks have XX% chance to turn enemies to stone). Some trigger on critical attacks, some work all the time, overall, the player has less to read and click, and more to think.

Multi-faction play:

In Heroes VII, having no town conversion pushes the player to play more than just one faction at a time either by mixing armies or by leading more heroes to the front, just like in Heroes III. An interesting challenge.

Resources:

As already explained
in this article, Heroes VII goes back to 7 resources just like in Heroes III, only with different names.

Map editor:

With Heroes VII, we want to provide the player with the same freedom to create maps, campaigns, and a powerful and versatile editor is being developed to that end. Our ambition is to give the opportunity to map makers from all horizons and level of expertise to unleash their creativity like they were able to do with Heroes III map editor. This one is of course our main reference (along with H4 one) for this tool development and we wish to go even further! We are looking forward sharing with you more information on this topic!

Of course there are plenty more elements from Heroes III and other titles that we decided to give our respect to on Heroes VII. Our objective with Heroes VII is to provide the best of Heroes and we will have additional surprises to unveil soon!

Stay tuned!
The M&M team.

]]>
5491c4dc888ef6973b000003http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/from-heroes-iii-to-heroes-vii
Wed, 17 Dec 2014 19:01:00 +0100General discussionDiscover Academy Townscreen in details!
Today we have the great pleasure to present you the place where you will be able to recruit and grow your armies while playing the Academy faction. You may have already seen this townscreen but it is now time to go deeper and have a first overview of its main buildings and specificities.

As always, please keep in mind that all information in this website is work in progress and that some elements may change before release time. Moreover, this article goal only is to focus on main buildings but the game will offer more variety and options while upgrading your town so stay tuned for more details!